By demolishing the Roma settlement in Nižné Kapustníky (Kosice region), the city of Kosice didn't want only to evict Roma squatters from their makeshift dwellings, but rather attempted to address the hazard that the illegal settlement posed for their well-being, Linda Snajdarova of Kosice City Hall said on Thursday.
Kosice City Hall spoke in reaction to Ombudsman Jana Dubovcova, who on Wednesday criticised the removal of the settlement, indicating that it was a violation of the Slovak Constitution and the European Agreement on Human Rights. “We don't think that any protectors [of human rights] speaking from the other end of the Republic, flying by the seat of their pants and having no insight into the local issues are able to realistically assess similar high-risk situations,” said Snajdarova.
