Video shows the children being forced to fight and then strip by officers
Came after the six boys were arrested for robbing an elderly woman
But as court won’t accept footage as evidence, police have been cleared
Judge ruled it was not admissible as video had been ‚illegally obtained‘
Prosecutor is seeking to appeal the verdict against the 10 officers

A shocking new video has emerged showing police in Slovakia forcing Romani children to fight each other and strip naked after they were arrested on suspicion of robbing an elderly woman. The footage has appalled the country after it was also revealed that the officers involved will not face any punishment after a local court refused to accept the video as evidence. The images, that spread quickly online, show how 10 police officers had forced the young children to beat each other, strip and even lick a shoe, causing widespread public outrage. They video was shot in 2009 by the officers themselves at a police station in the city of Kosice and had been shared among the police before it leaked on to the internet.

The case was eventually brought to court this week for a verdict after numerous delays. But all 10 officers were acquitted because the judge said the video had been ‚illegally obtained‘ and was therefore not admissible in court. The prosecutor, for whom the video evidence was the strongest asset, will appeal the verdict as without it there was little other evidence. However, the judge defended the decision, pointing to contradictory statements in the evidence given by the children. After the incident nine police officers lost their jobs and criminal proceedings were announced, but after throwing out the charges of assault, blackmail and trying to cover it up, the judge ordered a not guilty verdict because ‚there was no relevant evidence‘.

Attorney for the victims Vanda Durbakova, from the Slovak Centre for Civil and Human Rights, said: ‚The decision of the court is a genuine disappointment to me. ‚It seems that Slovak justice is unable to guarantee an effective access to justice even in the most prominent, unambiguous cases of cruel and inhuman treatment in our society. ‚The courts have been unable to effectively protect citizens from serious misconduct by units of state repression such as the police, which I consider alarming. ‚I believe the appeals court will overturn this decision on the basis of the prosecutor’s appeal and that the victims will not ultimately have to go all the way to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to get justice.‘

The Slovak Government Plenipotentiary for Romani Community Affairs, Peter Pollak, added: ‚I have personally seen the video footage from this case. ‚The police bullied those boys, which is why I appreciate the fact that the prosecutor will appeal this verdict. I condemn such practices. We must judge everyone by the same standards, and I condemn all criminal activity, whether it is committed by a police officer or a Romani person.‘

Source: Daily Mail
Date: 06.03.2015