Today in Ostrava the trial of the neo-Nazis accused of the racially motivated attempted murder of a young Romani man in Havirov continues. One of the victims of the pogrom has been damaged for life as a result of the attack. The court proceeding has been marked by significant delays.
At the start of February, the court assigned a psychological expert to review not only the credibility of the accused, but also of one of the victims and the main witness to the attack. When the witness testified to the court in December of last year, the defense claimed he was not credible, as he allegedly let himself be provoked by the accused into an emotional outburst.
As a result, the first-instance court verdict will not be announced this week. The events in question took place 14 months ago, and human rights defenders say these delays are significantly reducing any eventual impact the verdict might have. Markus Pape, who monitors cases of racist violence and discrimination, says: “I am alarmed that the justice system is not prosecuting these serious racially motivated crimes with the necessary speed and thoroughness. Such delays mean the future perpetrators of such crimes have nothing to fear from a criminal prosecution.”
On the basis of a pre-arranged agreement, a large group of young neo-Nazis took to the streets of Havirov on the night of 8 November 2008 with the intention of attacking any Roma who happened to cross their paths, according to the prosecution. Armed and masked, the youths attacked two Romani minors, J. H. and P.S. After a brief chase they threw J.H. to the ground, beat him and brutally kicked him, especially in the head and legs.
According to medical experts, the attackers caused J.H. serious, life-threatening injuries. The victim would have died if not for the rapid provision of medical aid.
After the attack on J.H., the assailants drove to another neighborhood in Havirov in order to attack more Roma, but fortunately did not succeed. Today eight young men stand accused of racially motivated attempted grievous bodily harm and rioting. Police already knew all of the accused prior to the attempted pogrom as either aggressive football hooligans or neo-Nazis. The High Court in Olomouc has reached the conclusion that the perpetrators’ behavior could qualify as attempted murder.
Judges will hear testimony from more witnesses at the Regional Court in Ostrava today (Havlickovo nabrezi 1835/34, door number 10 on the ground floor of building A). The victim is represented by Mgr. Roman Krakovka, an attorney of the Law Offices of Miketa and Partners, with the financial support of ROMEA, o.s.
