Former Czech MP Feri hospitalized after reported suicide attempt

Former Czech MP Dominik Feri, who resigned last year following multiple accusations of sexual assault, has been hospitalized in Prague after a reported suicide attempt, according to police statements and information from local media.

The incident occurred at around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday evening in Prague's Žižkov district. An official update on Feri's condition has not been released, but the ex-politician is still alive according to CNN Prima reporter Jakub Říha, referring to first-hand sources.

"Our crews intervened in an accident involving a 25-year-old man," Jana Poštová, a spokesperson for Prague's Emergency Rescue Services, told reporters.

"The man suffered moderate injuries and was conscious at all times. After the treatment, paramedics took him to the hospital."

Police reported to the incident alongside paramedics, responding to a report of an attempted suicide.

"We reported to Kubelíkova street along with paramedics," police spokesperson Jan Rybanský told reporters.

"According to initial information, it was a suicide attempt. Criminologists are now dealing with the case."

Feri was not named by emergency services or police, but photos of him being taken from the location by ambulance in a stretcher were published by local tabloid Blesk.

According to Novinky.cz, referring to an unnamed source, Feri was treated for knife wounds.

Elected at the age of 21 in 2017, Dominik Feri was the Czech Republic's youngest member of the Chamber of Deputies and its first Black representative.

He was one of the highest-profile members of the TOP 09 party, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová, which would win the 2021 Czech general election as part of the SPOLU coalition with Christian Democrats and Civic Democrats, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Feri was especially popular among younger generations and on Instagram, where his @choco_afro account received nearly one million followers by early 2021.

Last spring, multiple accusations of sexual assault and rape were brought against Feri. He was accused of luring women he met on social media to an isolated location and violating them without consent. Feri resigned soon after the allegations were made public, and a police investigation asked for additional victims to come forward.

Criminal proceedings against Feri are currently underway. The former MP vowed to fight the charges, but last week a court rejected his complaint against the prosecution.

Because one or more of Feri's alleged victims was under the age of 17, he faces charges of sexual assault of a minor and a prison sentence of up to 10 years if convicted.