Czech Republic

Prague municipality says author of Czech-Roma flag exhibit abused state symbols

Prague, 31.12.2013 1:23, (ROMEA) An exhibition entitled "Selection Procedure for Czech-Roma Flag" ("Výběrové řízení na česko-romskou vlajku") has resulted in its author, Tomáš Rafa, being prosecuted. According to a decision by the Office of the Municipal Department of Prague 7, the artist has been found guilty of committing a misdemeanor, specifically, of abusing state symbols of the Czech Republic, and has been fined.  full story

Miroslav Kováč: Let's pay more attention in 2014

Litvínov, 30.12.2013 20:08, (ROMEA) Everyone reading these words is blessed, because it has been possible for us to live until the end of 2013 and the start of 2014 in peace. Whether we are healthy or ill, we can all say we have also been a part of the hierarchy of those who make history.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani quintuplets spend holiday with grandparents

Milovice, 29.12.2013 19:33, (ROMEA) Christmas can be an onslaught to the nerves of many a mother, what with finding the Christmas tree, buying presents, cleaning, cooking, baking cookies and caring for the youngest family members on top of it all. What about when six children gather in one home and five of them are only a few months old?  full story

Czech Constitutional Court rejects complaint from publisher of Hitler's speeches

Brno, 28.12.2013 20:48, (ROMEA) The Czech Constitutional Court has rejected a complaint from the Guidemedia publishing company against the confiscation of money from its bank account. Police are garnishing the account for up to CZK 7.9 million in connection with the prosecution of the publisher for approving of, denying and justifying genocide.  full story

Karel Holomek: Some Czech senators know not what they do

Brno, 27.12.2013 17:56, (ROMEA) Our senators have distinguished themselves once again. About a week ago they adopted a resolution by a large majority in response to recommendations from the Council of the EU on the matter of discrimination against Romani people.  full story

Archbishop of Prague hosts Christmas lunch for homeless and refugees

Prague, 26.12.2013 19:21, (ROMEA) Yesterday Cardinal Dominik Duka welcomed people who are homeless, impoverished, isolated and refugees to the Archbishop's Palace for a traditional Christmas lunch. Shared seating for 270 guests at the Christmas Day lunch was organized for the 15th year in a row by the lay Catholic movement Community of Sant'Egidio; the community organized Christmas lunches in 70 countries worldwide yesterday for a total of 200 000 impoverished and isolated people.  full story

Commentary: Czech social housing concept needs a total rewrite

Prague, 24.12.2013 0:21, (ROMEA) It seems the outgoing Rusnok cabinet wanted to manage the production of as many conceptual materials as possible before leaving office. Fortunately, they have resisted pressure to make a decision on whether to breach existing environmental protection limits on mining.  full story

Czech ombudsman Varvařovský resigns, Křeček is his temporary replacement

Brno, 21.12.2013 20:10, (ROMEA) Czech ombudsman Pavel Varvařovský resigned from office yesterday. He did not give a reason for stepping down in the middle of his six-year term.  full story

International protest as Fascist regional governor takes office in Slovakia

Czech Republic / Slovakia, 21.12.2013 0:48, (ROMEA) Marian Kotleba, the leader of right-wing extremists in Slovakia, took office today as the head of the Banská Bystrica Region. Kotleba officially became Regional Governor (Administrator) by taking the oath of office at the first session of the Regional Council following November's elections.  full story

Analysis: Czech politicians don't understand the law and Roma pay the price

Prague, 21.12.2013 0:17, (ROMEA) After 1989, Czech society resolved to "build, protect and develop the Czech Republic in the spirit of the inalienable values of human dignity and freedom as the home of free citizens who are aware of their obligations towards others and of their responsibility to the community, as a free and democratic State founded on respect for human rights and on principles of civil society, as a member of the family of European and world democracies." This beautiful idea is incorporated into the preamble of the Czech Constitution.  full story

Czech Republic: Mosque defaced with bones and pork

Brno, 20.12.2013 18:06, (ROMEA) Late last night or early this morning someone threw a pile of pork bones in front of the entrance to a mosque in Brno. The door handle was smeared with lard and a piece of pork was hung from it.  full story

Czech Radio: Inclusive education could cure Czechs' racial prejudice

Prague, 18.12.2013 22:06, (ROMEA) For six years the Czech Republic has been under fire from international critics about the education it provides young Roma. In 2007 the European Court of Human Rights gave the Czech Republic the message that it had violated the right to education of 18 Romani children by unjustifiably assigning them to attend "special schools".  full story

Slovakia: Romani woman couldn't find job, now owns her own store

Bratislava/Liptovský Mikuláš, 18.12.2013 17:47, (ROMEA) News server Romovia.sme.sk has reported the story of Jana Ferencová, a Romani woman who lived in residential hotels in the Czech Republic for years before starting her own business after returning to Slovakia (see http://romovia.sme.sk/c/7035901/romka-si-pracu-na-liptove-nenasla-dnes-ma-vlastny-obchod.html#ixzz2npHiVr32 - in Slovak only). This is her second year running a second-hand clothing shop in the town of Liptovský Hrádek.  full story

Czech Govt adopts seven measures to curtail social unrest

Prague, 18.12.2013 2:21, (ROMEA) On 11 December the Czech Government approved seven measures intended to help address the reasons behind a series of anti-Romani incidents that led to unrest this year in the towns of České Budějovice, Duchcov and Ostrava. The resolution tasks the ministries with undertaking specific legislative tasks.  full story

Czech Senator Jiří Dienstbier might become Human Rights Minister

Prague, 17.12.2013 23:49, (ROMEA) Today the chair of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), Bohuslav Sobotka, once again reiterated that a Human Rights Ministry might well be part of his new government. Sobotka first mentioned the possibility over the weekend.  full story

Czech Amnesty International holding seminar on human rights for educators

Prague, 17.12.2013 17:11, (ROMEA) Amnesty International Czech Republic will be holding a seminar for educators focused on the issues of discrimination, human rights and racism. The first part of the seminar will cover general human rights themes and provide in-depth information about the concept of human rights as well as materials and methodologies for easily including that concept as part of instruction; the second part will respond to educators' demands for a seminar to equip them with arguments, information, and methodologies to effectively respond to discrimination, displays of racism and xenophobia from their students and provide them with inspiration and materials for working with these themes during instruction.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion holds national Romani meeting

Prague, 17.12.2013 0:56, (ROMEA) On Thursday, 12 December, Romani representatives met with staff of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion and the Office of the Czech Government Inter-ministerial Commission for Roma Community Affairs at Lichtenstein Palace in Prague. The meeting was attended by 80 members of the Romani community from all over the country.  full story

Czech Social Democratic chair considering Human Rights Minister in new cabinet

Prague, 16.12.2013 17:38, (ROMEA) On Saturday, 14 December at a meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) in Prague's Congress Center, the party as expected approved a coalition agreement with the ANO movement and the Christian Democrats. Party chair Bohuslav Sobotka told journalists there will be no further referendum inside the party.  full story

Czech experts believe centrally-located schools lead out of the ghetto

Brno, 16.12.2013 6:49, (ROMEA) The primary schools in the neighborhood of the Czech city of Brno referred to locally as the "Bronx" are almost exclusively attended by Romani children, and you won't normally find other kinds of children enrolled there. Activists want to integrate these Romani children more into the rest of society.  full story

Czech PM meets with Platform for Social Housing

Prague, 16.12.2013 3:43, (ROMEA) Czech Prime Minister Rusnok has met with representatives of the Platform for Social Housing, which published an open letter in which it took a stand against the Social Housing Concept drafted by the Czech Regional Development Ministry, as well as against the early adoption of an amendment to the Law on Aid to Those in Material Distress. The PM expressed appreciation for the Platform's activity and promised its representatives that he would review the materials.  full story