Jakub Kříž

Jakub Kříž is a Czech lawyer and lecturer at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University. In September 2026 the cabinet of Andrej Babiš appointed him a member of the Government Council for Human Rights.^{[1]^[2]}

Professional activity

The Archbishop of Prague, Stanislav Přibyl, described Kříž in his letter to the prime minister as a lawyer who has long cooperated with church institutions, represented them in restitution proceedings and took part in negotiating the agreement between the Czech Republic and the Holy See.^[1]

Appointment to the Government Council for Human Rights

The appointment drew criticism from several human rights organisations, among them Amnesty International in the Czech Republic, Prague Pride, Jsme fér and České ženské lobby. They objected in particular to his earlier statements on marriage for same-sex couples and on abortions. On 12 October 2026 the organisations called a demonstration in Prague, which, according to the organisers, was attended by three hundred people and at which they demanded the dismissal of Kříž, Taťána Kuchařová and Daniel Black.^{[1]^[2]^[3]}

Kříž rejected the criticism. After the first meeting of the council he said that many of the objections are, in his view, not substantive and that he himself fights for human rights.^[1] Archbishop Přibyl welcomed the appointment in his letter to the prime minister.^{[1]^[4]}