Slovak appeals court says video of police abuse of Romani children must be admitted into evidence

A Slovak appeals court has overturned a second first-instance court verdict acquitting all 10 current and former police officers last year of abusing Romani children at a police station in the east of the country. The officers' humiliation of the children happened in 2009 and was recorded by the officers themselves, using their mobile phones.
The district court has refused to admit those recordings as the prosecution's main evidence, justifying that decision by saying the footage was not taken in accordance with the law. The Regional Court in Košice has now instructed that the recording of the alleged humiliation of the Romani children be admitted as evidence during the district court's review of the case.
An edited version of the recording was leaked to the media when news of the incident broke. Six boys aged between 10 and 16 were suspected of having harmed and robbed an older woman, and according to the indictment the police officers shouted verbal abuse at them before forcing them to strip and beat each other.
The officers allegedly gave the boys other abusive orders that they had to carry out. The 10 officers were charged with abusing the powers of a public official and some were accused of extortion.
The officers, nine men and one woman, face many years in prison if convicted. The first-instance court acquitted them in 2015, but the Regional Court overturned that first verdict on appeal one year later.
Don't miss:
- Romani rappers P. A. T. and Rytmus in new video: Czechs and Slovaks are "drunk on hatred"
- Slovak appeals court confirms that town discriminated against Romani woman and must compensate her
- Slovakia: Second Romani schoolchild dies after February car accident
- UN: Slovakia must act to eliminate racism against Roma
Related articles:
- Czech Police seem to prevent Romani refugees from disembarking at station, but say they just informed them there is no accommodation available in the country's second-largest city
- Jihlava, Czech Republic flies the Romani flag in honor of World Roma Day
- Czech School Inspection maps successful primary schools, official says poor academic performance is not just a problem of excluded Romani pupils
- Czech court to hear appeal in case of brutal assault by non-Romani adults on Romani children in Lipník nad Bečvou
- Czech MP loses re-election and immunity, police reopen case of his calling Lety a "non-existent, pseudo-concentration camp" for Roma
- Czech Bar Association reprimands attorney for approving of "joke" calling for the gassing of non-white first-graders, he appeals
- Three innovations introduced to prevent hatred and racism on Instagram after UEFA's EURO 2020 championship sees spike in racist speech
- Czech MPs abolish infant institutions and raise remuneration for foster parents, bill now heads to Senate
- Woman says intercity bus driver in northern Czech town racially abused her and called for the death of all Roma before physically throwing her onto a road
- Czech Republic's Sparta Prague football ultras shout racist insults and throw beer cups at Black Monaco player
- Czech Police director of the Karlovy Vary Region: Internal Affairs Department investigating video of intervention by police in Sokolov
- Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry reports that 53 % of under-threes in infant facilities are Romani