Czech court grants early release to a third perpetrator of the 2009 arson attack on a Romani family with young children

Presiding Judge Hana Raszyková said that if Lukeš is set free, he will be able to pay off even more of the compensation that he owes the injured parties. He has submitted evidence to the court that his uncle will hire him. “He has also demonstrated enough improvement. It can be anticipated that he will lead a law-abiding life in the future,” she said. The decision has taken effect. Both Lukeš and the prosecutor chose not to appeal. The prison was scheduled to release him after noon on 18 September.

Lukeš is the third of the four arsonists convicted in this case to be released. Last May, convicted arsonists Václav Cojocaru and Ivo Müller left prison as well. They had served two-thirds of their 20-year sentences for multiple counts of racially-motivated attempted murder. The only perpetrator of the attack still in prison is David Vaculík.

An important aspect of the court’s decision was the expert evaluation of the convict commissioned by the court. The original assessment produced after Lukeš was apprehended characterized him as an egotistical, unbalanced personality. He was described as having an inclination toward extreme right-wing opinions with indications of increased aggressivity and xenophobia. The conclusions of the current evaluation from the same expert describe positive changes to his personality. For example, his values have reportedly been transformed. He no longer inclines toward the radical right.

The mother of burn victim Natálka, Anna Siváková, disagrees with the release of the perpetrators. “We lost our property, our health and our future. We couldn’t believe it when the first two arsonists were released. [Lukeš] is paying [restitution] in small amounts. It took him more than 10 years to send an apology letter,” she said in a statement read into the record by the judge. Markus Pape, who represents Pavel Kudrik, Natálka’s father, said that in his view Lukeš has not met the conditions for early release. “For example, he is not paying the damages,” Pape said. The convicted perpetrators are meant to pay Natálka more than CZK 9 million [EUR 360,000] and another approximately CZK 7 million [EUR 280,000] to her health insurer.

In court this May, Lukeš expressed remorse for his actions. Representatives of both the prison and the probation and mediation services supported his request for early release as well. According to them, his resocialization is possible and he was a model prisoner.

Lukeš, who was an active adherent of the neo-Nazi scene in the Opava area, was one of the initiators of the arson. According to the verdict that convicted him, it was he who chose the house in Vítkov that was attacked by the small group of sympathizers with the ultra-right shortly before midnight on 18 April 2009. Three masked perpetrators threw one Molotov cocktail each through the ground-floor windows of the house. The arsonists then fled the scene in a car driven by an accomplice. The powerful blaze they set almost cost Natálka, who was not even two years old at the time, her life and physically injured her father and mother.

There were eight people in the house at the time of the attack. Little Natálka was the worst injured, suffering burns over almost 80 % of her body. She was taken to hospital in critical condition and released by her doctors eight months later. She lost three fingers and will live with other health repercussions for the rest of her life, repeatedly undergoing operations. Kudrik and Siváková escaped the burning house with less serious physical injuries.