The Government on Wednesday commissioned Justice Minister Mária Kolíková and Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok to take necessary action so that Slovakia may be involved in Belgian criminal proceedings concerning the death of Slovak national Jozef Chovanec. According to the Justice Ministry, one possible option would be for Slovakia to participate in the proceedings as a damaged party, "which would allow the country to ask for additional action in Belgian criminal proceedings via a legal representative". If it isn't possible for the country to engage, the ministry proposes adopting other measures that will facilitate the investigation into the death.
In February 2018, Chovanec was involved in an incident with aircraft crew at Charleroi Airport, as he wasn't able to present a valid plane ticket. The police were called to assist, and a resisting Chovanec was taken away. He was then placed in a police cell, with video footage showing five officers kneeling on his chest for 16 minutes and laughing in response to a Nazi salute given by one of their female colleagues. According to an official report, Chovanec died of a heart attack.
