Appeals court orders retrial in racist attack

An appeals court in the North Moravian town of Bruntal has ordered a retrial of a case in which three youths carried out a racially-motivated attack against a Romany couple. The three were given suspended sentences for the attack, a verdict which outraged human rights groups and Romany activists. The three youths, masquerading as policemen, burst into the couple's flat in Jesenik last June. The woman, who was pregnant at the time, was hit in the eye with a cobblestone, leaving her with permanent injuries. The state prosecutor failed to appeal against the original verdict, and has since complained of political interference.