European Court of Human Rights Rules in Favor of a Victim of an Anti-Roma Attack: The Czech Republic Failed to Properly Investigate the Racial Motive
We are republishing a press release from In IUSTITIA, a non-governmental organization, concerning the judgment delivered by the European Court of Human Rights on July 16, 2026, in a case involving a victim of a racist, anti-Roma attack in Sokolov in 2021.
Prague, July 16, 2026 — The European Court of Human Rights ruled today that the Czech Republic had violated the rights of the applicant, who sought protection after an attack by a group of individuals associated with a far-right football ultras group in Sokolov in July 2021. The Court found that the Czech authorities had failed to conduct an effective and thorough investigation into the possible racist motive behind the attack and had not provided the victim with protection in line with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The applicant before the European Court of Human Rights was represented by In IUSTITIA lawyers Klára Kalibová, Barbora Davidová, and Petra Naskosová.
The judgment marks an important development in the protection of victims of bias-motivated violence in the Czech Republic. The European Court has once again confirmed that, when circumstances suggest that a violent attack may have been motivated by bias against a particular group, state authorities have a duty to investigate that possibility actively and impartially.
The case concerns a group attack that took place in Sokolov on July 23, 2021. A group of visitors to the city, including individuals subsequently identified by Czech police as members of a far-right football ultras group, attacked local Romani residents.
According to testimony from the victims, the attackers shouted racist abuse and threw various objects at them, and some of the attackers were armed. The applicant was struck in the leg by an object during the attack. Members of her family sustained other injuries, including cuts. A minor was among those attacked.
Czech police subsequently confirmed that some of those involved in the incident belonged to a far-right ultras group associated with a club in the top tier of Czech football. According to the applicant, however, Czech law enforcement authorities failed to adequately consider several circumstances indicating that the attack may have been motivated by racial bias.
"The judgment of the European Court is significant not only for the individual applicant, but for all victims of bias-motivated violence. The state has a duty to ensure that attacks suspected of being bias-motivated are investigated with particular diligence. When the bias motive is overlooked, victims and entire communities receive the dangerous message that their protection is not a priority,” says Klára Kalibová, a lawyer and director of In IUSTITIA.
During the proceedings, In IUSTITIA identified several shortcomings in the actions of the Czech authorities. According to the applicant, the police failed to use all available means to identify the perpetrators, failed to properly assess evidence of a possible racist motive, and prevented the victim from fully exercising her procedural rights.
Although the case contained several indicators of bias motivation—including racist abuse during the attack and the involvement of individuals associated with football-related violence—the applicant maintains that law enforcement authorities failed to adequately consider this context.
“The case has shown that the issue goes beyond individual procedural errors. It has exposed a deeper problem in the way the Czech system investigates hate crimes. If the police and the judiciary fail to identify and assess indicators of bias-motivated violence, serious attacks may be treated as ordinary disputes, leaving their true social impact invisible,” says Barbora Davidová, a lawyer with In IUSTITIA.
The decision is also important in the broader context of the situation of the Roma minority in the Czech Republic. Long-term research indicates low levels of trust among Roma people in law enforcement and the judiciary. One reason is that some Roma people have experienced their reports not being taken as seriously as reports of attacks against members of the majority population.
In IUSTITIA emphasizes that bias-motivated violence affects not only the individual victim. An attack motivated by bias sends a chilling message to the entire targeted community. The state’s response should therefore involve not only punishing the perpetrator, but also clearly acknowledging the seriousness of the motive and providing victims with effective protection.
“Protection from bias-motivated violence should be a fundamental duty of any democratic state governed by the rule of law and an integral part of safeguarding equality and human dignity. Everyone must be confident that, if they become a victim of bias-motivated violence because of who they are, the state will neither minimize nor overlook their case,” adds Petra Naskosová, a lawyer with In IUSTITIA.
Media Contact: +420 775 117 855, media@in-ius.cz
About In IUSTITIA
In IUSTITIA is the only organization in the Czech Republic specializing in support for victims of bias-motivated violence. It provides legal, social, and therapeutic assistance to people attacked because of their ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or another protected characteristic.
In addition to providing direct assistance to victims, the organization monitors bias-motivated violence, engages in strategic litigation and professional education, and advocates for systemic changes in the field of human rights protection.
Introductory photo courtesy of Romea.cz
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