In the context of the George Floyd case, the NGO ROMEA has recalled the similar circumstances of the death of the Romani man Miroslav Demeter in Žatec, Czech Republic four years ago. The 27-year-old died on 18 October 2016 in the Panamera Pizzeria after a conflict with customers led to an intervention by local police officers.
Just as in the case of Floyd, there is a video recording of several people, including a local patrol officer, kneeling on Demeter. One of the customers punches Demeter as he lies on the floor immobilized.
In that footage, the young Romani man first cries out and then is silent and stops moving. EMTs called to the scene did not manage to resuscitate him.
In February 2017, police closed their investigation of the case with the assertion that drug use was the cause of Demeter's death, not the actions of anybody else. The District Prosecutor in Louny gave its blessings to the police approach to the case.
The family of the young Romani man did not accept the police conclusion, based on their own examination of the video footage and the testimonies of eyewitnesses, and filed a complaint with the Regional Prosecutor.
However, that body agreed with the conclusion of the supervising prosecutor and the approach of the police, which means nobody has ever been punished for the death of this Romani man in police custody.
