Beaten for Ukrainian Accent: Court in Poland Arrested Attackers on a Ukrainian Couple
The District Court of Wrocław-Fabryczna granted the prosecutor’s request, ordering the three-month detention of two men suspected of attacking Ukrainian citizens, Polsatnews reports.
As previously reported by the "Judicial-Legal Newspaper", a young couple from Ukraine was attacked in Wrocław, Poland. Preliminary data suggests the aggression was provoked by the victims' Ukrainian accent.
One of the detainees is charged with assault and the use of violence motivated by national hatred, as well as committing a crime as a repeat offender. The investigation has classified his actions as hooliganism. If found guilty, he faces up to 7.5 years in prison.
The second suspect has also been remanded in custody for three months. He is suspected of assault and violence on the grounds of national hatred. The maximum penalty for this charge is up to five years in prison.
Suspects deny guilt
During interrogations, both detainees denied their guilt.
One of them refused to provide any explanations during both the prosecutor’s office interrogation and the court hearing. The other gave testimony but also denied the charges.
The defence of one suspect claims the conflict was allegedly not motivated by the victims' nationality.
Details of the attack
According to the investigation, the incident occurred on Sunday on Okulickiego Street in Wrocław. The victims were a 20-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, both Ukrainian citizens.
The prosecutor’s office states that the conflict began inside a shop and subsequently continued on the street. The final part of the attack was recorded on video and later shared on social media.
Law enforcement has obtained footage from the shop’s surveillance cameras, which should help establish the full chronology of events.
The published video shows three men brutally beating a Ukrainian citizen, while his companion attempts to protect him from the attackers.
Both victims were hospitalised. The woman required stitches for a wound on her ear due to the injuries sustained.
Police search for third attacker
The police reported that two suspects were detained on Monday evening, but the search for the third participant in the attack continues.
Preliminary information from law enforcement indicates that the aggression began after an argument in a shop queue, which then escalated into an attack on the Ukrainian citizen in the street.
The police note that the case exhibits signs of a hate crime committed on ethnic grounds.
The court orders for detention are not final and are subject to appeal.
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