In a video to the Belgian public, the Slovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs reacts “shocked” to the death of her fellow countryman in a police cell two years ago. Political pressure is also increasing at home. The Parliamentary Committees of the Interior and Justice will meet exceptionally next week.
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“The entire Slovak society is shocked by the violence against our fellow countryman. It is unacceptable what happened there. ” This is what the Slovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivan Korcok, says in a video message. It is in English, addressed to our country. In it, he also thanked the Belgian media for making the images public.
There is much to do in Slovakia about the death of the Slovakian Jozef Chovanec in our country two years ago. He died after being locked up in a police cell at Charleroi airport. Only now have images surfaced of police officers who have misbehaved.
“I call on the Belgian government to start working on the judicial investigation as soon as possible,” said Minister Korcok. “It is good that the police chief has temporarily resigned. We expect further consistent action from the Belgian authorities. ”
He had previously reported in the Slovakian media that the step back of the number two of the federal police is a sign that Belgium sees “the seriousness and urgency” of the case. Since the images appeared, he says he has been in direct contact with our government. The Slovak embassy in Brussels also says that the case is being followed up at the highest level of government.
Political pressure is also increasing at home. Several parties have asked for parliament to meet on this, despite the summer recess. The Chamber has now addressed this. Next week, the Justice and Home Affairs committees will meet to discuss the matter. The chairman of the Justice Committee, Kristien Van Vaerenbergh (N-VA), says this will be Tuesday or Wednesday.
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