LIVE BROADCAST 10 AM CET FRIDAY: Unveiling of the gravestone for the late Stanislav Tomáš at the cemetery in Teplice, Czech Republic
On Friday, 27 October 2023, the headstone for the late Stanislav Tomáš, who died after police intervened against him in June 2021, will be unveiled. The gravestone is in the form of a round rock inscribed with Paťiv ("Respect") in large letters and was created by the sculptor Jakub Berdych Karpelis.
Friends and relatives of the deceased will hold a press conference at 10 AM on Friday to answer questions about the development of the court case over the death of Mr. Tomáš, the situation of his bereaved relatives, discrepancies in the police investigation of the case and the installation of the gravestone itself. ROMEA TV will broadcast the press conference live online.
Mr. Tomáš was forcibly restrained by police during his arrest on 19 June 2021, after which he died. Video footage of his arrest was disseminated on social media and sparked protests all over Europe.
The video showed a police officer kneeling on Mr. Tomáš’s neck in a manner reminiscent of the police murder of the Black American George Floyd in May 2020 in the USA. While the results of the autopsy published by the police stated that the cause of his death was unrelated to the way he was treated by police, a report by the Czech Deputy Public Defender of Rights on 13 December 2021 found that the police played a significant role in the Romani man’s death.
That report states that the intervening officers neglected to monitor the state of Mr. Tomáš’s health and postponed calling an ambulance to the scene. The Deputy Public Defender of Rights also ascertained that the Regional Police Directorate’s internal investigation of the incident left out essential information about Mr. Tomáš collapsing prior to the ambulance arriving, which could mean that they failed to conduct an effective investigation.
“The family and their supporters do not believe the case of his death was properly, impartially investigated, and for that reason they have turned to the courts,” the evangelical minister Mikuláš Vymětal said in a press report sent to news server Romea.cz, adding that the family is demanding justice and compensation for the death of their loved one. The case recently ended up before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which is currently reviewing it.
“I thank you all very much for your long-term support and aid. We believe the death of my brother will not be swept under the carpet and that we will ultimately learn the truth. I am glad Stanislav will have a dignified gravestone, we will never forget him,” said Simona Tomášová, sister of the deceased.
“Everybody deserves a dignified funeral and dignified memorialization,” said Vymětal, adding that he is grateful to Karpelis for his artistic, dignified rendering of Mr. Tomáš’s final resting place. On Friday, 27 October at 10 AM the press conference unveiling the gravestone will be held at the Komunitní prostor Smíchov venue; the designer of the gravestone, Jakub Berdych Karpelis, the evangelical minister for minorities Mikuláš Vymětal, the social worker Miroslav Brož and René Ferko, a Romani pastor and relative of the deceased, will be available to the media.
