On Tuesday, 30 November the trial of eight young men charged with jointly committing a racially motivated attack on Roma in the Šumbark and Prostřední Suchá quarters of Havířov will continue at the Regional Court in Ostrava. One of the victims has been permanently injured as a result. The trial is closed to the public because at the time of the crime, one of the defendants was still a minor.
A large group of young men took to the streets of Havířov during the night of 8 November 2008 after previously agreeing to attack Roma passers-by. Armed and masked, the youths assaulted at least two Roma minors. After a brief chase, they threw one of the victims, 16-year-old J.H., to the ground, where they brutally beat and kicked him, especially in the head, causing him serious, life-threatening injuries. The attackers caused cranial damage not only by kicking the victim, but by using a metal rod called a „gola“ and a 65 cm. long collapsible night stick, both of which were confiscated by police.
The eight defendants are now on trial for racially motivated attempted grievous bodily harm and rioting. Prior to the attack, police were already aware of some of the assailants as aggressive football hooligans, fans of the Baník Ostrava and Havířov football clubs, or as neo-Nazis. The High Court in Olomouc decided the perpetrators‘ behavior could be considered attempted murder and therefore transferred the case from the district to the regional-level court. Due to significant delays in the criminal proceedings, the defendants are not in custody.
The prosecution’s case is mainly based on indirect evidence. Police have documented that the defendants‘ mobile phones were transmitting from the sites of both attacks. While the defendants have confirmed they were present at the crime scenes, they claim they did not participate in the attacks. When asked why they were present at both crime scenes, which are separated by a considerable distance from one another, the defendants had no explanation to give. Some eyewitnesses have refused to testify to the police and the court out of concern for their safety.
In mid-October, the presiding judge read into the court record the testimonies of eyewitnesses who either chose not to appear in court or whose presence the judge did not believe was required. A medical expert testified and confirmed that the main victim had been in danger of losing his life after the attack and described the extensive injuries suffered.
A last witness remains to be deposed. If the defense does not propose further evidence for consideration, the closing arguments may be made and a first-instance verdict may finally be pronounced – more than two years after the crime was committed. Should the court find the defendants guilty, they face not just prison time, but the prospect of paying the victim hundreds of thousands of crowns in damages. They will also have to pay the insurance company for the costs of the victim’s treatment.
Police have kept quiet about the case. The public has only learned of it thanks to Ladislav Baláž, coordinator of the Roma association Europe Roma CZ, who visited the family of the main victim immediately after the attack and found a lawyer to represent them. Markus Pape has mapped the case and reported on it to the media. Daniela Horváthová, chair of the Europe Roma CZ branch in Prostřední Suchá, is providing care for the eyewitnesses who have not yet testified to the court out of concern for their own safety. She values her work with Ladislav Baláž: „He is a brilliant, clever man, he helps us Roma, and not only here.“ News server Romea.cz has been regularly reporting on the trial to the public.
In mid-July 2009, Anti-fascist Action (AFA) published detailed information on some of the defendants‘ neo-Nazi activities. AFA says some of the defendants are members of a hooligans group called „Thugs Havířov“ and one is said to be an active member of the militant National Resistance group, which was banned by the Czech Supreme Court a few years ago. Violent neo-Nazi crusades against the Roma were once frequent in the Šumbark quarter of Havířov. Ladislav Baláž, who has been monitoring the situation, says it has been calm ever since the media started reporting on the trial.
The hearing will start at 8:30 AM on 30 November 2010 at the Regional Court in Ostrava, Havlíčkovo nábřeží 1835/34. The main victim is represented by Mgr. Roman Krakovka of the law offices of Miketa and Partners, with the financial support of the ROMEA association.
Quelle: Romea
Stand: 29.11.2010