Czech Republic: Victims' attorney believes attack was racially motivated, opposes collective blame

Today the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem began to hear the case of a brutal assault committed last year against a married couple in the town of Duchcov (Teplice district). The indictment charges five people, including one juvenile, with perpetrating the attack. 

The victimized couple will seek financial compensation for their harms. Klára Kalibová, an attorney for the couple, stated today that her clients believe the assault on them was racially motivated. 

The skirmish ended with the married couple being brutally beaten. Prior to that incident, two of the defendants attacked a man whose bicycle they had been trying to steal.

The trial is closed to the public because one of the defendants is a juvenile. According to the indictment, he was the most brutal perpetrator and was 16 at the time of the incident.

The prosecutor charges the defendants with grievous bodily harm (some of them with attempted GBH) and rioting. The juvenile is also charged with making criminal threats.

The juvenile allegedly made the criminal threats against the married couple as they were being placed in an ambulance for transport to hospital. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted.

The police investigation was not able to prove that the assault was racially motivated. Kalibová, however, believes the crime was racist in nature.

"This specific case is one of a racist attack. The victims insist that racists exist in each and every nation. Nevertheless, the principle of collective blame cannot be applied here," the attorney said.

Kalibová did not state what the precise evidence was for considering the crime racially motivated and did not specify the amount of compensation her clients will seek from the assailants. The victims are also represented by Michal Mazel, who is an expert on extremism.

The defendants refused to give any statements today. They also covered their faces with newspapers to avoid being photographed.

The victims will not attend the hearing and Kalibová is asking the media to respect their privacy. "The media has been reporting about their personal matters, and some media outlets have even downloaded information from their Facebook pages," she explained.

The incident took place last year during the early morning hours of 18 May. According to court papers, the juvenile assailant provoked the conflict with the married couple on Bratří Čapků Street in Duchcov.

The attack sparked anti-Romani unrest in the town, with right-wing extremists demonstrating there several times in its aftermath. The hearing will last until Friday.