Northern (N): Czechoslovakia (NC). Local People's Courts

A file of correspondence, reports, and press material concerning justice in Czechoslovakia. The documents contain a report produced by Sir Paul Grey, the British ambassador to Czechoslovakia, on the use of "comradely courts" in Czechoslovakia. The report covers how these courts are described as "a feature of socialist democracy" in the Czechoslovak press; and the intention of the courts to "encourage communal jurisdiction" in cases of both "minor indictable offences" and "industrial discipline and general social behaviour". The report also discusses how these courts have been given limited publicity "to test popular reaction to them before the publication of any statues providing formally for their establishment as part of the legal system". Other documents include a series of articles in the Czechoslovak press on the use of "comradely courts" in Czechoslovakia; and a note produced by the British embassy in Prague on the enshrinement of "comradely courts" in Czechoslovak law.