Czech universities refused Russian and Belarusian applicants to technical programs on sanctions grounds; the ombudsman recorded fault against the regulator, not the schools.
The Czech Public Defender of Rights (veřejný ochránce práv) published a press release on 8 April 2025 headed "Státní příslušnost nemůže být důvodem k zákazu studia na vysoké škole". It stated that Russian and Belarusian nationals had not been allowed to enroll in technical study programs at some Czech universities, including in that year's admissions round, and that the universities justified this by international sanctions prohibiting the provision of so-called technical assistance. The press release names no university.
The release rests on the ombudsman's own-initiative investigation, file 14540/2022/VOP/LK, ref. KVOP-37513/2023, whose report was issued under section 18 on 12 October 2023 following complaints filed from 11 July 2022. That report names České vysoké učení technické v Praze (ČVUT), Vysoké učení technické v Brně (VUT) and Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze (ČZU), and adds that it is not excluded that other universities proceeded similarly.
The report concluded that the universities did not proceed individually and restricted Russians' and Belarusians' access to education on the basis of nationality. The formal finding of fault was recorded not against the universities but against the Financial Analytical Office (FAÚ), the body supervising sanctions implementation, for misinterpreting the relevant sanctions and for not acting against the universities' conduct. The ombudsman states that he cannot investigate the universities themselves, because his anti-discrimination jurisdiction extends only to the grounds listed in the statute, which do not cover the nationality of non-EU citizens. The case record in the ESO database gives the outcome as "pochybení zjištěno", fault found.
Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček said the prohibition applies only where a university has at least reasonable suspicion that the information acquired in a critical study program will be used in Russia or Belarus. Nationality alone cannot be the sole ground for such suspicion, he said, since the ban could otherwise unjustifiably affect applicants who have lived in the Czech Republic since birth or hold long-term residence there. He said the FAÚ had agreed with his conclusions and adopted measures to prevent recurrence, but that he had recorded applicants meeting the same problem again that year. He advised those refused to appeal against the non-admission decision and, if necessary, to bring an administrative court action.
The report records the universities' practice from their own statements to the ombudsman. ČVUT said it as a rule did not admit applicants from Russia and Belarus to programs it classed as critical, that each request was assessed individually, and that exceptions were decided by the rector and granted to everyone who asked. VUT said it admitted no new Russian and Belarusian students to critical programs from 2022/2023, offered other programs or a change of doctoral topic instead, and resolved enrolled students' situations individually by transfer, a change of topic, or an exception allowing them to finish. ČZU said it refused such applicants to critical programs, changed that decision in several appeal cases where documents showed the applicant posed no risk, ended no enrolled student's studies, and that 44 percent of Russian and Belarusian applicants to its non-critical programs, which remained open, were admitted.
The FAÚ's position shifted over time. In the 2023 report it told the ombudsman it found no substantial fault in ČVUT's and VUT's internal rules; by April 2025 the ombudsman said it had agreed with his conclusions. The ESO record states that the FAÚ took steps so that universities would interpret the sanctions correctly in future, that the ombudsman considered the measure sufficient, and that he closed the investigation. The report states that the Court of Justice of the European Union had not ruled on this question as of 12 October 2023, and that the European Commission's position is that higher education and applied research could fall under technical assistance.
Česká justice reported on 9 April 2025 that the FAÚ's updated January 2025 manual for universities still states that participation in teaching, a conference or research can constitute technical assistance, and still places Russia and Belarus with Iran and North Korea in the highest-risk category. The press release was reported the same day by Aktuálně.cz on 8 April 2025 and by Česká justice on 9 April 2025; neither report names the universities concerned.
Sources
Where it stands
Ongoing, and the underlying legal interpretation is contested and unadjudicated. The finding of maladministration against the Financial Analytical Office was not reversed, and the ombudsman closed the file after the office acted, but he reported applicants refused again in the 2025 admissions round. No finding was made against any university, and their conduct is recorded only from their own replies. No later reversal or correction of the ombudsman's finding was located, and the Court of Justice of the European Union had not ruled on the question as of the report's date.