Czech trial of incident that sparked anti-Romani unrest to resume 7 March

Markéta Morkusová, spokesperson for the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem, has
informed the Czech News Agency that the main hearing in the trial of a brutal
assault committed in Duchcov (Teplice district) last year has been postponed.
The indictment charges five people with perpetrating the attack, one of whom is
a juvenile.

Judges will reconvene to hear the case on 7 March. The hearing is closed to the
public.

“The parties have proposed the introduction of more evidence, so the court has
postponed the hearing. When it resumes, further introduction of evidence will
take place and concluding arguments should be made,” Morkusová told the Czech
News Agency.

During the past four days of the main hearing, testimony was given by court
experts, the defendants, eyewitnesses and the victims. The case concerns
incidents that took place in the early morning hours of 18 May 2013.

According to court papers, the juvenile assailant provoked a conflict with a
married couple on Bratří Čapků Street in Duchcov. The state attorney’s
indictment states that subsequent to the incident, “The female victim has
developed post-traumatic stress disorder with symptoms of agoraphobia and panic
disorder.”

The indictment does not include racial motivation in the charges, but Klára
Kalibová, attorney for the victimized couple, stated previously that she
believes this was a case of racism. Her clients are seeking compensation from
the court.

The indictment charges the attackers with committing grievous bodily harm (some
only with attempted GBH), with rioting, and the juvenile also with making
criminal threats. The assault sparked anti-Romani unrest in the town, where
right-wing extremists organized several demonstrations.

“We do not want the attack against us to be interpreted as an attack by the Roma
against whites or to serve as a pretext for hatred and the incitement of racial
intolerance. Our perception is that we were assaulted by a group of violent
thugs, and such people exist in every nation,” the victimized couple stated in a

letter published by news server Romea.cz.