European human rights body seeks to investigate death of Czech Roma – WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana weather

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PRAGUE (AP) – Europe’s main human rights body on Wednesday demanded a full and independent investigation into the death of a deceased Roma after a Czech policeman responding to a call about an altercation knelt down in the neck.

Police said the man’s death last week was due to a drug overdose, and the country’s prime minister supported their handling of the incident. But Roma activists reject the police explanation and plan a protest rally on Saturday in the northern town of Teplice, where the incident occurred.

Some compare the incident to the murder of George Floyd, a black American who died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt by his neck, prosecutors say.

The Council of Europe said in a statement on Wednesday that the police action was “alarming and raised many questions about the circumstances of this tragic incident”.

Amnesty International’s local branch and government human rights envoy Helena Valkova have joined the call for an independent investigation while the country’s deputy mediator Monika Simunkova said on Wednesday she would launch a separate investigation into this matter.

Three police officers were involved in Saturday’s incident in Teplice.

Video footage shows one of them kneeling on the man’s neck for several minutes. The man, who has not been officially named, later died in an ambulance. Police said a drug overdose was previously determined by a doctor to be the cause of death.

Police deny wrongdoing. Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said he supported them. He said police are investigating whether the action was appropriate.

Police said the preliminary autopsy showed the man had a drug in his system and a heart problem, dismissing the fact that his death had anything to do with their intervention.

They said they arrived at the scene, in a Roma neighborhood, after receiving a call indicating that two men were fighting and damaging cars nearby. They said one of the men ran away but the other attacked them after they approached him when they saw him lying in the street.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis thanked the Teplice police unit.

“If someone wrecks cars, is aggressive and even bites a policeman, then he cannot be expected to be treated with children’s gloves,” Babis said Wednesday.

The site has been transformed into an impromptu memorial, with people coming to light candles.

Roma have long suffered from racism and discrimination in Eastern Europe and continue to face enormous barriers in employment and education.

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