02/07/2021
FSG - Internacional
The European Roma Coalition, of which the Fundación Secretariado Gitano is partner, as well as other Roma, pro-Roma and anti-racist civil society organizations, deeply regret the events that occurred in the Czech Republic, where a Roma citizen (Stanislav Tomas) died after two police officers knelt over him.As a result of this fact, a joint letter signed by a large number of entities will be sent to European Authorities and Institutions. The letter details the fatal events that occurred and were recorded on video, as well as the reactions at the political level of the authorities of the Czech Republic throughout these days from June 19.
Through this Letter, a call is made by these signatory entities to “request an independent, exhaustive and objective investigation into the death of Stanislav Tomᨔ. In addition, European leaders and European institutions are urged to put in place all possible mechanisms so that the investigation can be carried out, without biases or racial prejudices based on anti-Gypsyism.
“It is worrying that senior officials of the Czech government, in particular the Minister of the Interior and the Prime Minister, have supported the police officers when their role is to remain impartial and await the results of the official investigation of the case ... Furthermore, the Prime Minister was quick to conclude that Stanislav did not die as a result of police intervention, based solely on the preliminary results of the autopsy, without waiting for the final results of the investigative process. Both officials also characterized Stanislav in a derogatory way to justify police action and methods. "
"We urge the EU institutions to call for an independent, effective and impartial investigation of the situation, so that police officers will be investigated and punished thoroughly and proportionally according to the level of crime perpetrated."
The full content of the letter can be read at this link.
Along these lines, the Council of Europe (CoE) published a statement on June 23: the Council of Europe calls for an urgent independent investigation into the death of a Roma man after being detained by the police.
“It is essential that the investigation into police intervention also takes racial motivation into account, in line with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.
We call on EU leaders, the Czech government, the media and non-governmental actors to take a clear stance against anti-Gypsyism and police violence, including their public statements.
As human rights defenders, we take a firm stance against police violence and inadequate police response, especially when interacting with people from racialized minorities. "
Finally, we want to highlight that Stanislav Tomá¨'s family has filed a criminal complaint against the Czech police with the legal support of the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). ERRC is committed to exploring all legal options available at national and European level to ensure that the victim's family receives the legal support necessary to safeguard their rights.
