Czech court acquits man of using force against two racists who insulted him

News server Novinky.cz reports that Mohamad Yzan Ramadan was working at a refreshment stand in Plzeň, Czech Republic two years ago when two racists decided to insult him, at which point he pulled out a truncheon and beat them. The 26-year-old citizen of Syria was charged with felony rioting and attempted battery, but has now definitively been acquitted.

The appeals court confirmed that it would not be sentencing the defendant. "We have upheld the original verdict of the District Court, which acquitted the defendant," confirmed Lucie Jíchová, spokesperson for the Regional Court in Plzeň.

The verdict has now taken effect. Two years ago, the two men aged 24 and 27 began shouting at the Syrian that he was "stinking filth", along with other racist insults.

Ramadan didn't like that one bit and used his truncheon to beat the young men, who were skinheads. The first-instance court decided in July that while the Syrian had committed the actions at issue, it would not be punishing him for them.

The court said the defendant had merely responded to the contemptible behavior of the injured parties, behavior of which they have both since been convicted and the verdicts have taken effect. "The charges against me are true. I regret my behavior. However, I would never had done it if they hadn't shouted racist abuse at me, if they'd just left me alone," Ramadan told the court.

"[The defendant] psychologically couldn't take the defamatory insults and unfortunately, he took justice into his own hands. By doing so, his behavior met the definition of the crimes with which he has been charged," District Judge David Protiva said.

According to the judge, however, the harm to society committed by the defendant was significantly reduced by the injured parties' inexcusable behavior. The prosecutor's appeal has now been definitively ruled on by the Regional Court.