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News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

Czech Republic: Romani activist says media tried to bribe gunshot victim

22 October 2012
1 minute read

The family of a Romani youth who was shot to death in Tanvald on New Year’s Day has had to deal with other unpleasant incidents in addition to this great personal tragedy. The victim’s brother, who was also injured during the incident, has been released from the hospital and has had to face the enormous interest of the media upon returning home.

Eva Gáborová of the Roma Tanvald Association has complained that journalists are behaving so insensitively toward the family as to invite comparison with hyenas. The association is helping the victims’ family to make it through this difficult time and is doing its best to protect them from the relentless media interest.

Gáborová described to news server Romea.cz the constant demand from journalists to interview the family members, the injured brother in particular, as follows: “A television crew tried to visit the injured man. We, as the civic association, told them no more interviews could be considered at that time with respect to his state of health.” This explanation, however, was not enough for the reporter from TV Prima Family, who decided to at least acquire some photographs if he couldn’t record an interview with the injured brother of the deceased. “The reporter from Prima Family gave the chair of our association a camera and CZK 200 (EUR 7.75) to give to the victim if he would allow the gunshot wound in his belly to be photographed,” Gáborová said, adding, “That was the last straw.”

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