Brno, Czech Republic: Local Roma Council holds crisis meeting with Mayor Vaňková about security and further legal moves in the case of the death of a young Romani man
A crisis meeting has been held by Brno's Council of Roma in response to the acquittal handed down by the Regional Court in the case of the death of a young Romani man last year. The verdict sparked a wave of disappointment among the Council members and, according to them, has confirmed the fears of the Romani community that they cannot trust the justice system, especially when Roma are victims.
The meeting was attended by Mayor Markéta Vaňková and Deputy Mayor Robert Kerndl. “The members expressed their great disappointment over the Regional Court verdict today in Brno, which, according to them, confirms the Romani community’s lack of trust in the justice system and in the way the courts work in cases where Romani people are victims. We feel it is necessary to meet with the Czech Government Council on Roma Minority Affairs and with the newly-created councils in Plzeň and in Pardubice to discuss the next legal moves,” Tomáš Ščuka, a civil society member of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs, told ROMEA TV.
Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková has already responded to the call for a meeting. “Next week I am planning a coordination and information meeting in Brno with the Council of Roma, the Council of Roma in Plzeň, nonprofit organizations and the Romanonet umbrella organization. I will reach out to the men and women who are the civil society members of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs to attend the meeting,” she posted to social media.
According to Nikola Taragoš, director of the Romodrom organization, it is necessary to take advantage of all the legal means available to resolve the situation. Taragoš also expressed appreciation to the city for its approach at this sensitive time.
“We had actually given very serious consideration to taking quite a critical stance on this, but thanks to the opportunity to come together and discuss everything, we have managed to rationalize our decision and we will be gradually moving towards clearer outputs and future steps,” he said, highlighting the city leadership’s willingness to meet with the Council of Roma in Brno. Jana Hamrová, a member of the Brno Council of Roma, reminded ROMEA TV that the young human life which was lost must not be forgotten during the legal moves to come.
Another Brno Council member, Rastislav Lučanský, expressed his disappointment over the verdict and emphasized the need to fight for justice. He also mentioned that security is crucial and called for an increased police presence in the localities where such incidents transpire.
Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková said the main subject of the meeting was security. “It is actually essential that Brno be safe, not just today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but in the weeks and months to come. One concrete matter we agreed on was that we will attempt to boost the number of assistants for crime prevention,” she told ROMEA TV.
