Marek Obrtel

Marek Obrtel (born 17 December 1966) is a Czech politician and former military officer. He is known for publicly returning his Army of the Czech Republic military medals in 2014 over his opposition to NATO and the United States.

In 2015, Obrtel formed the Czechoslovak Soldiers in Reserves, a pro-Russian right-wing paramilitary, but left it later that year following an internal falling-out with its members. He subsequently joined the National Home Guard, another paramilitary associated with National Democracy. Obrtel began his political career in 2018, running on right-wing platforms in several elections, but has not been elected.

Early life and career

Obrtel was born on 17 December 1966 in Přerov, Czechoslovakia. He attended and graduated from Charles University and the University of Defence's Military Medical Academy.

Obrtel joined the Czech Land Forces in 1999 as a military doctor. He served in the Bosnian War, Kosovo War, and War in Afghanistan. Over the course of his career he held several commanding positions in the Czech military, including deputy commander of the Military Medical Service headquarters, colonel in the Army's general staff at the Military Health Section, and chief of the 11th Field Hospital. He became disillusioned with NATO while serving as a medical advisor to the Kosovo Force Multinational Brigade Center in Pristina during the Kosovo War. He declared his support for Russia and Russian president Vladimir Putin for "the foresight, restraint and balance with which he reflects the provocations of the West", as well as Czech president Miloš Zeman for his anti-American stances, while also condemning the government of Ukraine as "another product of desperate American imperialism".

In January 2015, after forming the CSR, Obrtel made a statement to Serbian news agency Novosti a.d., commenting on NATO's involvement in the Kosovo War in 1999 and alleging the West supported war crimes in the Kosovo War:

The CSR drew public attention for their appearance in the 2015 commemoration of the Velvet Revolution on 17 November, when members arrived in uniforms to show their support for Zeman during his speech. They also offered their services to him, though he declined their offer. shrinking the CSR's core base to approximately 200 members.

Political career

In the 2018 Czech Senate election, Obrtel ran for Senate for the Czech National Social Party in Prostějov.

In the 2021 Czech parliamentary election, Obrtel ran for electoral leader in the Olomouc Region for the Free Bloc. He ran on a strongly conservative platform based on increasing military strength and national security, fighting against "COVID tyranny" and pharmaceutical industry influence, considering holistic medicine as "a basis for recovery", promoting traditional families over "the influence of gender, LGBTIQ activities, inclusion, juvenile justice or the violent Islamization of children's lives", and shifting the Czech Republic away from liberal democracy.

Personal life

Obrtel lives in Rokytnice, Olomouc Region.