The charged police officer Marek A. arrives at the Košice court on November 13, 2024. (source: TASR – František Iván)
On Tuesday, November 12, Slovakia’s Interior Ministry confirmed the death of a 48-year-old man detained last week in Košice - Nad jazerom, linking his death to injuries allegedly inflicted by an on-duty police officer.
The police patrol arrested the man at Kaufland, a grocery store, where he reportedly attempted to steal alcohol. Thefts under €700 are now no longer considered a crime but a misdemeanour, following amendments to criminal legislation by the current government. Once apprehended, the store’s security reportedly took him to a designated room and called the police. After allegedly being severely beaten at the store by one of the two police officers, the man is believed to have been taken to the police station, where his health deteriorated. He was later transported to a local hospital, where he died the following day, November 6. Reports indicate that he was a rough sleeper.
A store camera reportedly captured the assault, according to the news website Aktuality.sk.
The Police Inspectorate, responsible for investigating police misconduct, became aware of the assault on November 7. It is reported that the two police officers denied beating the homeless man. In their report on the theft, they stated that the man fell to the ground and injured his head while attempting to escape the police, according to Police Chief Ľubomír Solák.
The two officers were detained on November 11, several days after the alleged attack. One of them, 45-year-old Marek A., who has 20 years of police experience, now faces manslaughter charges and a prison sentence of 12-15 years. He was taken into pre-trial custody on November 13, while the latter officer has been released from detention and has returned to work. This police officer, who reportedly failed to intervene and stop his colleague, will be fired, said the police chief on November 14, following the session of the Defence and Security Parliamentary Committee. Moreover, criminal charges might be pressed against him at some point.
The head of the Police Inspectorate, Branislav Zurian, confirmed on November 14 that the charged officer returned to the store in civilian clothes after the beating and tried to communicate with the security staff there. It is unclear whether he attempted to obtain video footage from the room where he assaulted the man, as the opposition claims.
The police station in Košice-Nad jazerom (source: Korzár - Katarína Gécziová)
Interior minister condemns the attack in a video
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, a coalition leader and head of the Hlas party, stressed in a brief social media post on November 12 that the law applies equally to everyone, including law enforcement. He assured the public that the tragic incident, which occurred in eastern Slovakia, would be thoroughly investigated.
Šutaj Eštok, who is said to be a contender for Speaker of Parliament, is already grappling with a shortage of police officers. His tenure as minister has also seen moves to dissolve the National Crime Agency (NAKA)—Slovakia’s primary anti-corruption law enforcement body—and replace it with smaller institutions. NAKA had also been investigating people with links to the ruling parties. Recently, the minister was showered with criticism for criticising students mocking PM Robert Fico-supporting pensioners at a Halloween party and for a decision to implement AI surveillance cameras in schools, a response to bomb threats that schools have been receiving in recent months.
On November 12, the minister also posted a video—his preferred way of communicating with supporters—addressing the Košice incident. He condemned the behaviour of the police officer involved as unacceptable and pledged to purchase body cameras for police officers.
On November 14, the interior minister told journalists that he saw no reason to submit his resignation.
Public Defender of Rights Róbert Dobrovodský expressed horror at the latest case of police brutality, urging that video recordings be made during any police operations involving force. Opposition MPs have also called for body cameras to be mandated for police officers.
Amnesty International Slovakia also expressed deep outrage over the police officer’s violent behaviour. “This death is a tragic example of the dangerous abuse of police power and must lead to drastic systemic reform within the police force,” the organisation said in a statement.
The charged police officer Marek A. at the District Court in Košice on November 13, 2024. (source: TASR – František Iván)
From right to left: Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas), Police Chief President Ľubomír Solák, and the Police Inspectorate Director Branislav Zurian during a press conference following a meeting of the parliamentary Defence and Security Committee in Bratislava on Thursday, November 14, 2024. The committee discussed police brutality in Košice. (source: TASR – Martin Baumann)
Police brutality is a long-term problem
The incident follows a recent visit by lawmakers to a Košice police station where, earlier this summer, another individual suffered abuse. Similar incidents involving the Košice police have occurred in the past.
“This is clearly a long-standing systemic issue,” said Lucia Plaváková (Progressive Slovakia), chair of the human rights committee, calling for urgent action from the interior minister. Freedom and Solidarity lawmaker Vladimíra Marcinková echoed this. “Today, we see how fatal and tragic the consequences of ignoring this issue can be.”
Marcinková also criticised the police officers who fail to condemn brutal attacks by their colleagues.
In May 2016, police officers in Lučenec, southern Slovakia, detained and beat a man, keeping him in custody for three days. He had reportedly assaulted a woman who was a relative of a Lučenec police officer. Due to serious injuries, he had to be transported to a local hospital, where he spent over 40 days. However, the Lučenec police denied any mistreatment.
