Natálka's mother to the arsonists: Ask her for forgiveness yourselves

Anna Siváková, the mother of the little girl who was so severely injured by last year’s arson attack, seemed only slightly nervous as she followed today’s announcement of the verdict against the four neo-Nazis who set her family’s house on fire last April. Every day she lives with the results of the arson, which was intended as a celebration of Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Her daughter Natálka, now three years old, was burned over 80 % of her body, lost three fingers, and will live with other consequences of her injuries for the rest of her life.

Today was the first day that Ms Siváková was able to see the faces of the perpetrators. “I didn’t look at them much, I couldn’t. It was a dreadful feeling,” the young woman told journalists. Until today she had avoided contact with the defendants, requesting, for example, that they not be present in the courtroom while she testified. She does not intend to forgive them. “I will never forgive them,” she said. Whether Natálka ever will, she has no idea. “They can come ask Natálka for forgiveness for ruining her life once they get out of prison,” she said.

Ms Siváková arrived at the trial alone. Natálka’s father, Pavel Kudrik, decided not to follow the announcement of the verdict from inside the courtroom. “He’s taken a vacation day and is at home. He’s watching her,” his wife explained before the trial opened today.

After the verdict was announced, Ms Siváková did not hide her surprise at the length of the sentences. The court handed down extraordinary sentencing to all four defendants. Three of them – David Vaculík, Ivo Müller and Jaromír Lukeš – are to spend 22 years in prison. Václav Cojocaru will spend two years less than that. “I am glad it turned out this way, but I guess it doesn’t show much, because I’m in shock,” Ms Siváková said, adding that she considered the punishment to be fair. However, she did not expect all of the defendants to receive extraordinary sentencing. “I am surprised,” she said.

The defendants, whose attorneys had asked for much lighter sentencing (and in one case for acquittal) did not let on as to whether they were surprised by the verdict. One of the camera men who filmed their reaction described it as follows: “They remained standing, like pillars of salt, and stared beyond the judges’ panel.” As he had during the rest of the trial, David Vaculík showed absolutely no emotion. Václav Cojocaru was the only one to show slight signs of emotion. Prior to leaving the courtroom he briefly turned to look at his own mother and shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.

Dozens of people were on hand to follow the announcement of the verdict. For the first time ever, the management of the Regional Court made the balcony seating above the largest courtroom in the building available to the public. At least 20 journalists followed the announcement of the verdict from there. The courtroom itself, which seats 45, was reserved for the public and was completely full. Many of the friends of the defendants remained outside in the corridor.

“I shouldn’t have even bothered coming here, they’re not letting us in,” complained an 18-year-old girl. “We gave priority to family members,” responded Regional Court spokesperson Barbora Plchotová.

The prosecution charged the four youths with attacking the home of a nine-member Roma family on 19 April 2009. Three of them each threw a Molotov cocktail through the windows while a fourth waited in the getaway car. The prosecution said their crime was related to gaining publicity for extremist groups and to the 120th birthday of Adolf Hitler. According to property confiscated during a search of the defendants’ homes and to experts on extremism, all four defendants were active North Moravian neo-Nazis.