Czech Republic

Czech High Court again reviews whether attorney should be removed from "machete" case

Liberec, 18.1.2013 23:34, (ROMEA) The Czech High Court will once again take up the matter of whether attorney Klára Samková should be removed from representing defendants in the so-called "machete attack" case. The incident in Nový Bor in 2011 injured three people.  full story

Czech filmmakers finish documentary about shooting death of Romani man

Prague, 17.1.2013 17:12, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that prominent documentary film directors Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda have just completed a documentary entitled "Život a smrt v Tanvaldu" ("Life and Death in Tanvald"). A trailer for the film can be seen online at http://vimeo.com/56657563. The filmmakers mapped the tense relations between Czech and Romani people in the town of Tanvald, where a Czech pensioner shot a 22-year-old Romani man to death one year ago. The case was eventually ruled one of self-defense.  full story

Romani activists ask Czech Government not to close Human Rights Section

Prague, 16.1.2013 3:27, (ROMEA) Romani students and youth activists have written to the Czech Government asking it to preserve the Human Rights Section at the Office of the Government. The activists say dispersing the agenda of the section between various ministries would endanger the protection of "the most vulnerable groups" in society, such as children, minorities, people living with disabilities, and seniors.  full story

Crisis Committee's open letter to Czech Government

Prague, 16.1.2013 2:50, (ROMEA) The following is a full translation of the Crisis Committee's open letter to the Czech Government asking it not to close the Human Rights Section.  full story

Prominent Romani figures in Czech Republic on the presidential vote

Prague, 14.1.2013 17:59, (ROMEA) The historic first round of direct presidential elections in the Czech Republic this past Friday and Saturday has determined who will compete for votes during the second round. The electorate and the electorate alone is now responsible for choosing the head of state.  full story

Former EU Commissioner's Facebook page hacked to send antisemitic posts about Czech presidential candidates

Prague, 14.1.2013 16:04, (ROMEA) The role of social networking sites and the internet has become a topic of discussion in the Czech Republic 14 days prior to the second round of voting in the presidential elections there. The significant electoral success of Karel Schwarzenberg in the first round is said to have been largely due to his online presence.  full story

Czech Republic: Zeman wins first round in some Romani neighborhoods

Chanov/Prague, 14.1.2013 1:08, (ROMEA) In the historically first direct election of the president in the Czech Republic, candidate Miloš Zeman won most of the votes cast at the Chanov housing estate in the town of Most. Voter turnout was extremely low, with only 59 voters casting ballots, a mere 6.43 % of those eligible.  full story

Schwarzenberg and Zeman face off in Czech presidential vote

Prague, 12.1.2013 19:34, (ROMEA) The next Czech president will either be former prime minister Miloš Zeman (of the Strana práv občanů ZEMANOVCI - the Citizen's Rights Party for Zeman, or SPOZ), or the chair of the TOP 09 party, current Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Not all of the votes cast during the first round of the direct election have been counted, but no one else will be able to earn as many as would be needed to end up in first or second place.  full story

OSCE election monitor team focuses on Romani participation in Czech vote

Prague, 12.1.2013 2:59, (ROMEA) Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are following the historically first direct election of the president in the Czech Republic. Deputy Head of Mission Goran Petrov of Macedonia told the Czech Press Agency that the direct presidential election is interesting to the observers, who were invited by the Czech authorities.  full story

Czech ministers criticize public tv for allegedly racist reporting on amnesty

Prague, 10.1.2013 17:16, (ROMEA) Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats - ODS) says that most of his cabinet ministers have criticized the allegedly racist way in which Czech Television has reported on the prisoners released by the recent amnesty. The PM says Czech Culture Minister Alena Hanáková is considering filing a complaint with the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (Rada pro rozhlasové a televizní vysílání - RRTV), but Daniela Němcová, Czech Television's Director of Communications, rejects the charges of racism.  full story

Czech voters elect president directly for the first time in history

Prague, 10.1.2013 16:40, (ROMEA) Over the coming days, Czech voters nationwide will have have the opportunity to select their president for the first time in history. Up until now that role has been played by Parliament. During the first round of voting, should no single candidate receive more than half of the votes, people will at least determine which two of the nine candidates will make it to the final round of voting in two weeks' time.  full story

How the Czech amnesty has aided racist assailants

Prague, 10.1.2013 5:56, (ROMEA) News server Aktuálně.cz has published new information about the perpetrators of racially motivated violent crimes who have now been released from their sentences as a result of the Czech President's amnesty. As we previously reported (http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-prisoner-amnesty-releases-racist-assailants-and-extremists), the infamous rowdies from Nýrsko, Boublík and Miškovič, have been released. Last year they first attacked a small group of children for no reason and then broke into a nearby home which they knew was occupied by a Romani family, where they tried to strangle a male family member using a sweatshirt.  full story

Czech presidential candidate: Democracy can't work without civil society

Prague, 7.1.2013 17:36, (ROMEA) News server Romea.cz has prepared a questionnaire for candidates running in what will be the first-ever direct election of the president of the Czech Republic. We asked all of the candidates, among other things, about their strategies for addressing the issue of social exclusion and their opinions on the integration of the Romani minority, particularly on how they intend to achieve improvements in that direction. We were also interested in their approach toward right-wing extremists, toward the issue of segregating pupils in primary schools, and toward the case of the pig farm located on the site of a WWII-era forced labor camp for Romani people.  full story

Czech presidential candidate: We must understand the specifics of each minority

Prague, 7.1.2013 16:52, (ROMEA) News server Romea.cz has prepared a questionnaire for candidates running in what will be the first-ever direct election of the president of the Czech Republic. We asked all of the candidates, among other things, about their strategies for addressing the issue of social exclusion and their opinions on the integration of the Romani minority, particularly on how they intend to achieve improvements in that direction. We were also interested in their approach toward right-wing extremists, toward the issue of segregating pupils in primary schools, and toward the case of the pig farm located on the site of a WWII-era forced labor camp for Romani people.  full story

Czech Republic: Trial of tragic death; Romani defendants say they did not want conflict

6.1.2013 1:17, (ROMEA) Last Thursday, just four months after the tragic conflict in front of the Sokolovna restaurant in Strakonice which cost Milan Šlemenda his life, suspect Ivan Demeter, who is not yet 20, stood before the Regional Court charged with committing intentional grievous bodily harm resulting in death. If convicted, Demeter faces up to 10 years in prison.  full story

Czech Supreme Court: No redress for "special school" enrollment

Prague, 3.1.2013 16:31, (ROMEA) Jaroslav Suchý has finally lost his lawsuit demanding compensation for the fact that he attended "special school" as a child. Suchý unsuccessfully sought half a million crowns (EUR 20 000) in damages from the Czech Education Ministry, but Supreme Court spokesperson Petr Knötig told the Czech Press Agency yesterday the court has rejected his appeal.  full story

Czech fans spread rumors about Romani football subsidy

Most, 3.1.2013 15:58, (ROMEA) The Mostecký deník daily has reported that several fans of the Football Academy in the Czech town of Most have been spreading allegations that a local Romani association is benefiting unfairly from municipal financing. The civic association Aver Roma (Jiní Romové - Other Roma), which is in its second year of taking care of youth from the Chánov housing estate who have football talent, rejects the charge that the town hall is "pouring lots of money" into its work.  full story

Czech prisoner amnesty releases racist assailants and extremists

Prague, 2.1.2013 23:26, (ROMEA) The amnesty announced yesterday by Czech President Václav Klaus will release several infamous Czech extremists from serving their conditional sentences. Amnesties have also been granted to perpetrators of brutal racist attacks, such as the one committed against Romani people in Nýrsko and the attack committed by a former DSSS (Workers' Social Justice Party) candidate against a Moroccan citizen in Rožmitál. According to preliminary estimates by the Czech Justice Ministry, the number of prisoners covered by the amnesty totals 6 876. That number might still change.  full story

Czech President Klaus announces prisoner amnesty in final speech

Prague, 2.1.2013 3:57, (ROMEA) In his final New Year's Day speech today, Czech President Václav Klaus evaluated the past 10 years during which he was the country's head of state. He defended democracy and traditional values, assessed the country's economic development, and criticized the European Union and the amount of regulation which, in his view, is putting the brakes on growth. The president also called for a return to national cohesion. He announced a partial amnesty for prisoners at the close of the speech.  full story

Canada may lift Czech visas once asylum process speeds up

Ottawa, 21.12.2012 18:27, (ROMEA) The Canadian media is reporting that Canada will accelerate the administration of asylum-seekers' requests for citizens of the Czech Republic. That country and 26 others are now on a list of so-called "safe states" where the Canadians believe people are not usually at risk of persecution, unlike people in other parts of the world.  full story