Dozens of Slovaks Living in Belgium Gather to Commemorate Jozef Chovanec

Brussels, September 6 (TASR) - Some 40 Slovaks living in Belgium gathered on Sunday on Schuman Square in Brussels to commemorate Slovak national Jozef Chovanec, who died on February 27, 2018 after being detained at Brussels South Charleroi Airport. The event was also attended by Slovak Embassy to Belgium Charge d'affaires Andrej Michalec, who stated that he highly appreciates the approach of the Slovak community in Belgium and its expression of solidarity with the Chovanec family. "We support this approach," stated Michalec, remarking that the Slovak embassy has been following the case of Chovanec"s death "responsibly and consistently" from the very beginning, just like the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry has. "We"re in contact with the family of Mr. Chovanec. Our priority has been and will be the interest of the Chovanec family, in other words, a thorough investigation of the case," stated Michalec. According to Andrej Sebesta, one of the organisers of the event, the case is a sensitive topic for Slovaks in Belgium, as they consider Brussels South Charleroi Airport to be their "home" airport. Sebesta noted that the commemoration event was also meant to be a protest against "an unprecedented misstep of the Belgian police", while at the same time it expressed support to the Chovanec family. zel