Blanar: Slovakia Sends Diplomatic Note to Belgium over Chovanec's Death
Slovakia has sent a diplomatic note to Belgium expressing its serious doubts regarding the investigation into the death of Slovak citizen Jozef Chovanec following police action in Belgium in 2018, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Tuesday.
Bratislava, February 27 (TASR) - Slovakia has sent a diplomatic note to Belgium expressing its serious doubts regarding the investigation into the death of Slovak citizen Jozef Chovanec following police action in Belgium in 2018, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Tuesday.
According to Blanar, the note was handed to the Belgian ambassador last week.
"At the same time, we stressed in the note our great interest in obtaining an objective investigation and justice for the relatives of the tragically deceased Slovak citizen. We believe that the Belgian authorities will do their utmost to carry out a fair and objective assessment of the degree of individual accountability among those who were supposed, by virtue of their profession, to protect the life and health of the tragically deceased Slovak citizen on the territory of the Kingdom of Belgium," said Blanar.
Slovakia also expressed its belief that the Belgian authorities will objectively assess all facts and evidence during the investigation, including contradicting conclusions of Slovak experts, which indicate that Chovanec may have died as a result of the actions of other people and not as a result of self-harm. "We are ready to provide all political and practical assistance and cooperation to our colleagues and partners to ensure that, after six long years, the relatives of the tragically deceased Slovak citizen will obtain long-awaited justice," added Blanar.
Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) reiterated that if the Belgian authorities fail to deal with discrepancies in the investigation, Slovakia is ready to file an inter-state complaint against Belgium at the European Court of Human Rights.
Chovanec died in February 2018 after being arrested by the Belgian federal police at Charleroi airport and the subsequent controversial actions of police officers. Slovakia entered into criminal proceedings as the aggrieved party on March 26, 2021. According to Susko, the Belgian judicial authorities are expected to issue a verdict on the issue in the second half of March.
