Slovakia called on the Belgium law enforcement to continue its investigation into the case of the death of Slovak national Jozef Chovanec, TASR learnt from the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry press department on Tuesday. According to the ministry, the decision of Belgium's prosecutor's office not to press criminal charges against anyone is not final. "The Slovak Republic emphatically demands a thorough investigation into the case and the holding of potential perpetrators responsible," stated the ministry.
Chovanec died in February 2018 after a scuffle with the police at Charleroi airport. According to the Belgian media, he acted belligerently on an aircraft and shoved an air stewardess because he wasn't allowed to sit in the seat he wanted. The captain refused to take off until the airport police arrived. According to an expert analysis by Belgian doctors, the cause of his death was brain swelling, which he suffered after repeatedly banging his head against a wall in the detention cell.
In 2020, released video footage from the cell showed the airport police officers kneeling on Chovanec's neck for more than 15 minutes, while one of them gave a Nazi salute during the act, much to the amusement of her laughing colleagues.
Non-parliamentary Hlas-SD led by former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (2018-20) expressed strong disillusionment at the decision of the Belgian prosecutor. "The leaked video of the police intervention shows clearly that the Belgian security used inappropriate force that led to the death of Mr. Chovanec," claimed Hlas-SD, calling on Foreign and European Affairs Minister Rastislav Kacer to take action. (TASR)
