Nine police have lost their jobs for bullying young Roma boys in Košice in March 2009, the TASR newswire reported Interior Ministry spokeswoman Silvia Miháliková as saying.
“Seven people are accused of abuse of office and intimidation in this case,” she told TASR.
If they are found guilty, they can spend four to eight years in jail.
The incident occurred on March 21 after a robbery on Moldavská Street in Košice was reported to the police and they found an elderly woman lying injured on the ground.
Shortly afterwards, police detained six suspects, all Roma boys. Three of them were younger than 14, the age of criminal responsibility in Slovakia. The Sme daily later released a video on its website showing policemen locking up the six boys in a small room and men in uniforms forcing the children to strip and to slap each other in the face.
Compiled by Michaela Stanková from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
