Czech Republic

Czech Labor Minister will be Michaela Marksová Tominová

Prague, 17.1.2014 18:06, (ROMEA) The next Minister of Labor and Social Affairs is probably going to be Michaela Marksová Tominová, who until now has been the spokesperson for the Czech Social Democratic Party's (ČSSD) shadow government on issues of human rights and the family. Bohuslav Sobotka, the incoming premier and ČSSD head, has announced that he has decided to appoint her to his government.  full story

Markus Pape: Czech Republic's most serious racial attack of 2013 on trial

Teplice / Ústí nad Labem , 17.1.2014 0:52, (ROMEA) Next Monday the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem will review the most serious case of racially motivated violence to have occurred in 2013. During the celebrations around the opening of the spa in the town of Teplice, a non-Romani man working at an outdoor sausage stand seriously injured several Romani youths with a knife before stabbing a random Romani passer-by to death directly in front of the Teplice town hall.  full story

Commentary: Czech trial of police president shows state attorney not independent

Prague, 16.1.2014 23:56, (ROMEA) The recent trial of Czech Police President Petr Lessy unfortunately has once again demonstrated the inability of the state attorney to proceed independently. I personally consider Lessy to be incompetent and to bear his share of the blame for the very poor reputation of the police, who constantly face criticism from human rights activists; despite this, I cannot agree with his being convicted without evidence.  full story

Czech Republic: Trials continue in Duchcov scandals

Duchcov, 15.1.2014 1:55, (ROMEA) Scandal #1: Revenge attack against those organizing anti-Romani demonstrations  full story

Commentary: In defense of Ivana Čonková

Ústí nad Labem, 15.1.2014 0:48, (ROMEA) I disagree with most of the opinions expressed in the piece entitled "Commentary: Some Romani activists are spreading anti-Romani sentiment", which has recently been published on Romea.cz. In that article the author attacks in an ugly, sometimes chauvinist, and vulgar way an activist from the Konexe association, my friend Ivana Mariposa Čonková.  full story

Commentary: Some Romani activists are spreading anti-Romani sentiment

Prague, 14.1.2014 23:40, (ROMEA) Most of the readers of Romea.cz have probably watched the most recent episode of the Czech Television discussion program "Máte slovo“ ("You Have the Floor"), which is presented by Michaela Jílková. I have to admit that during that broadcast I found myself wondering whether I was really watching a Czech Television program at all.  full story

Commentary: Romani guests on Czech TV show aren't helping their image

Prague, 14.1.2014 22:21, (ROMEA) Michaela Jílková, a Czech Television "moderator", has once again succeeded in pulling off a tour de force. On her tabloid talk show "Máte slovo" ("You Have the Floor"), through which guests sometimes spread their racist and xenophobic attitudes, she has once again incited the "decent" and the "inadaptables" (her words) against one another.  full story

Czech Helsinki Committee designs law to compensate illegally sterilized people

Prague, 14.1.2014 17:18, (ROMEA) The Czech Helsinki Committee (Český helsinský výbor - ČHV) has completed a bill to use as a basis for compensating the victims of illegally-performed sterilizations. The NGO is now submitting the draft legislation to the political parties seated in the Czech Parliament as well as to the justice minister and is calling on them both to see through an adequate resolution to the issue of illegal sterilizations as soon as possible.  full story

Nominees for Czech ombud include Fischerová, Marvanová and Šabatová

Prague, 13.1.2014 17:40, (ROMEA) Next month the Czech lower house will vote in a new Public Defender of Rights (or ombud) and there is a big chance that a female nominee will take up the post. The candidates are said to be former dissident Anna Šabatová, who will evidently be nominated by the Czech Senate; Táňa Fischerová, whom the ANO Movement intends to negotiate support for in the lower house; and attorney Hana Marvanová, who might also be nominated by the Senate, according to news server iDNES.cz.  full story

Commentary: Czech TV talk show contributes to anti-Romani sentiment

Prague, 13.1.2014 5:28, (ROMEA) Last Thursday evening the public channel Czech Television 1 broadcast an episode of Michaela Jílková's "Máte slovo" ("You Have the Floor") program on the topic of "Tightening up Welfare". Romani activist Ivana Mariposa Čonková was in the studio audience and protested against the management of the program, whom she believes have grossly violated the public broadcasting statutes of Czech Television and intensified anti-Romani sentiment in the country.  full story

Czech coalition government proposes Dienstbier for Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Minister

Prague, 8.1.2014 2:54, (ROMEA) Representatives of ANO, the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and the Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) signed a coalition agreement on 6 January describing the principles of and program for the incoming coalition government's work. The government should have 17 posts including prime minister and two ministers without portfolio.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani victims of racist violence still waiting for compensation

Klatovy/Nýrsko/Plzeň, 8.1.2014 2:26, (ROMEA) Two Romani people from the Klatovy district continue to wait for the compensation awarded to them last November by the Regional Court in Plzeň. A total of six Romani people filed a civil lawsuit for protection of their personality rights over the trauma they experienced when violent racists Václav Boublík and Jiří Miškovič attacked them in July 2011.  full story

Czech trial of men who forced girls and women into prostitution on the D5 highway begins

Kladno/Prague, 7.1.2014 22:43, (ROMEA) The Regional Court in Prague has begun handling the case of a seven-member gang of men from Kladno charged with regularly transporting women to a rest stop on the D5 highway not far from the town of Rudná near Prague for purposes of prostitution. According to the prosecution, the defendants took over the area and decided which women might engage in prostitution there.  full story

Czech Senator Dienstbier to become Minister for Legislation, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities

Prague, 3.1.2014 17:14, (ROMEA) The administrative board of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) agreed today on its nominees for ministers to the incoming coalition government. Party chair Bohuslav Sobotka must first present the lineup to Czech President Miloš Zeman.  full story

Designer of Czech-Roma flag options protests absurd fine

Prague, 2.1.2014 21:48, (ROMEA) Slovak artist Tomáš Rafa is protesting against a fine levied against him by the Administrative Division of the Prague 7 Municipal Department for his creation of designs for a Czech-Roma flag. Rafa has filed an objection against the decision.  full story

Czech Republic: Attorney sues over fine for mentioning expert's allegedly Jewish origins

Prague, 1.1.2014 21:16, (ROMEA) Attorney Petr Kočí has filed a lawsuit against a decision by the Czech Bar Association (Česká advokátní komora - ČAK) to fine him CZK 100 000 for claiming an expert witness was biased due to his allegedly Jewish origin. Kočí sent a press release to the Czech News Agency on 23 December 2013 claiming that the reasoning for the disciplinary measure is unclear and not subject to review, and he is asking the Administrative Court to overturn it  full story

10 most-read articles on Romea.cz during 2013 - Czech and English editions

Prague, 31.12.2013 19:58, (ROMEA) The Czech-language article that was read the most in 2013 on news server Romea.cz was our piece in July about a controversial art project for a Czech-Roma flag. That project culminated on the last day of 2013, when Romea.cz was the first to publish the information that the author of the exhibit must now pay a fine for desecrating the official symbols of the Czech Republic; he is appealing.  full story

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