Blanar to Discuss Belgian Court Ruling on Chovanec's Death with Minister Lahbib

New York, September 26 (TASR) - Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) intends to discuss the recent Belgian court ruling in the case of the death of Slovak national Jozef Chovanec in Belgium in 2018 with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib, he himself told the media on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. "I will ask her how she views such expressions, whether it is something that is okay for [the Belgian authorities]," remarked Blanar in connection with the verdict and the behaviour of Belgian police officers that preceded the death of the Slovak national. Blanar admitted that Lahbib will probably not be able to resolve the case from her position, but he still wanted to convey his opinion to her. At the same time, he reiterated that Slovakia will officially appeal against the verdict at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. "We have always approached court decisions with respect, but some verdicts just don't leave you completely unfazed," said Blanar, adding that he finds the Belgian court's verdict unacceptable. The aforementioned Belgian court on Wednesday ruled that no individual is criminally responsible for the death of Chovanec, stating that it was a regrettable coincidence of tragic circumstances. Jozef Chovanec (38) died in February 2018 after being arrested by the Belgian federal police at Charleroi airport and the subsequent controversial actions of police officers. In 2020, released video footage from the cell showed the airport police officers kneeling on Chovanec's neck for more than 15 minutes, while one of them gave a Nazi salute during the act, much to the amusement of her colleagues. According to an expert analysis by Belgian doctors, the cause of his death was swelling of the brain, which he suffered after repeatedly banging his head against a wall in a detention cell. zel/df