Possible out-of-court-settlement on case of police brutality

Interior Minister Jan Kubice will try to reach an out-of-court settlement with the relatives of a Vietnamese man who died as a result of police brutality. The victim’s mother is suing the state for her son’s death and has demanded 50 million crowns in compensation. On Tuesday the court postponed further hearings until April at her request to give the two sides time to reach an out-of-court settlement. Minister Kubice said he thought the mother wanted moral satisfaction first and foremost and would be willing to settle for a significantly lower sum if she received a proper apology from the state.

The incident took place in Brno in 2005. A woman called the police because she thought she had found drugs in her apartment which she shared with 43-year-old Vietnamese man. The man was brutally assaulted by the police and later died of internal injuries in hospital. The officer responsible was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.