Officer charged with manslaughter after man dies in police custody
Incident happened in Košice.
Slovakia’s Interior Ministry has confirmed the death of an individual detained last week in Košice, linking their death to injuries allegedly inflicted by an on-duty police officer.
The officer, detained on November 11, now faces manslaughter charges.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, a coalition leader and head of the Hlas party, stressed on social media that the law applies equally to everyone, including law enforcement. He assured the public that the tragic incident, which occurred in eastern Slovakia, would be thoroughly investigated.
Šutaj Eštok, who is said to be a contender for Speaker of Parliament, is already grappling with a shortage of police officers. His tenure as minister has also seen moves to dissolve the National Crime Agency (NAKA)—Slovakia’s primary anti-corruption law enforcement body—and replace it with smaller institutions. NAKA had also been investigating people with links to the ruling parties. Recently, the minister was showered with criticism for criticising students mocking PM Robert Fico-supporting pensioners and for a decision to implement AI surveillance cameras in schools, a response to bomb threats that schools have been receiving in recent months.
Public Defender of Rights Róbert Dobrovodský expressed horror at the latest case of police brutality, urging that video recordings be made during any police operations involving force. Renewed calls for body cameras on police officers have also emerged, with opposition figures demanding swift implementation after long delays.
The incident follows a recent visit by lawmakers to a Košice police station where, earlier this summer, another individual suffered abuse.
“This is clearly a long-standing systemic issue,” said Lucia Plaváková (Progressive Slovakia), chair of the human rights committee, calling for urgent action from the interior minister. Freedom and Solidarity lawmaker Vladimíra Marcinková echoed this. “Today, we see how fatal and tragic the consequences of ignoring this issue can be.”
Marcinková also criticised the police officers who fail to condemn brutal attacks by their colleagues.
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