Kamloops professor behind bars in Slovakia awaits decision on bail
Academic facing child porn charges says research photos sparked allegations
A Thompson Rivers University professor in jail in Slovakia may be released on bail this week.
Anthropology professor David Scheffel has been in a cell in the eastern European country since last November, facing charges of arms trafficking, sexual violence and child pornography.
Supporter Ivan Somlai of Kamloops said a court hearing last week was “seemingly optimistic,” noting bail release seemed a potential outcome, but Scheffel would be required to remain in the country.
Since his arrest, many academics and non-government organizations have spoken out in support of Scheffel, who has spent 16 years researching social issues within the Roma population of Slovakia.
At a hearing on July 22, Scheffel spent three hours explaining the history and goals of anthropology and how his work with the Roma fit with it.
In particular, he was researching social challenges the Roma experience that lead to juvenile prostitution.
In an emailed update, Scheffel said he argued that dismissing juvenile prostitution is wrong and continues to stigmatize the Roma people as “unadaptables,” which he said is the attitude of many Slovakians toward them.
Ignoring it, Scheffel added, also fails to deal with issues of racism, oppression and poverty within the Roma community. Scheffel said photographs from his laptop that were being viewed by Slovak authorities as child pornography were of nude and semi-nude Roma children, which he said is “a standard scene captured by many visitors to these impoverished and chaotic communities.”
He said other pictures the prosecution referenced included one of his youngest daughter after her delivery at Royal Inland Hospital.
Scheffel’s research data, including his laptop, haven’t been returned to him or his new lawyer to assist with his defence. He’s now being represented by a former Slovak deputy prime minister and minister of justice.
In his emailed update, Scheffel said he had been visited by two representatives of the Slovak government’s human rights office, a response to his complaint to the Council of Europe about his incarceration.
He said it was his first positive experience with Slovak officials, who spent several hours discussing his grievances and met later with prison managers and the warden.
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