World

Bulgaria: Roma respond to anti-Romani protests in the capital

23.6.2015 16:57 On 14 June the FOCUS News Agency cited police reports that a protest against the "lawlessness of Roma people" on 13 June had resulted in several injuries in the Orlandovtsi district of Sofia, Bulgaria. A brawl reportedly broke out between non-Romani and Romani residents there.  full story

EU and UN criticize Hungary for local treatment of Roma and border fence plans

22.6.2015 23:40 On 16 June, politics.hu reported that EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said the Miskolc council's recent moves with respect to the housing of Romani people contravene both the EU's Roma Integration Framework Strategy and Hungary's own Roma Strategy. The Commissioner made the statement in response to a written question submitted by MEP Péter Niedermüller (Democratic Coalition) in March.  full story

Hungary erecting four-meter-high fence against migrants on its border with Serbia

18.6.2015 22:00 The Hungarian Government wants to build a four-meter-high fence along its border with Serbia to stop the influx of illegal migrants. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on 17 June that the Government has called on the Interior Ministry to design the appropriate project by next Wednesday, according to the MTI agency.  full story

European Court for Human Rights says internet portal operators responsible for insulting online posts

16.6.2015 22:59 Today the European Court of Human Rights confirmed that the operators of internet portals are responsible for insulting commentaries posted online by their users. The judgment in the case of a large Estonian online news server could impact the operation of such portals in all the member states of the Council of Europe, which includes the Czech Republic.  full story

UN side event on discrimination as a root cause of Romani marginalization

15.6.2015 20:03 Tomorrow, 16 June, a side event to the UN Human Rights Council session will further discuss the findings and recommendations of the recent study released by the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues on the human rights situation of Roma. The report was officially presented on 15 June.  full story

VIDEO: UN Human Rights Council review of anti-Gypsyism

15.6.2015 9:00 Rita Izsák, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, will present her study of the human rights situation for Romani people worldwide before the United Nations Human Rights Council at 18:00 today, Monday, 15 June 2015. The entire session of the HRC begins at 09:00 and can be followed live at the link below.  full story

European Roma Institute proponents respond to analysis by the European Roma and Travellers Forum

12.6.2015 0:30 On 21 May, in advance of a Council of Europe meeting to discuss the possible founding of a European Roma Institute, the European Roma and Travellers Forum published its analysis of the “revised concept paper on the creation of a European Roma Institute”. The full document of the ERTF assessment can be found here.  full story

Deadline for OSF RIO Barvalipe School funding is 1 July

10.6.2015 22:01 The Roma Initiatives Office (RIO) of the Open Society Foundations has opened a call for organizations interested in running a Barvalipe School to provide a creative experience for Roma university graduates interested in progressing from academia to public leadership. Proposals are invited from Roma NGOs in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey for projects providing opportunities to rebuild Roma dignity and pride, as well as develop competence, confidence and self-reliance among Roma university graduates between the ages of 25 and 35.  full story

The European Roma Institute: Frequently Asked Questions

10.6.2015 18:33 The Roma Initiatives Office of the Open Society Foundations, which is one of the founding members of the nascent European Roma Institute (ERI), has released a set of answers to the "Frequently Asked Questions" now circulating about the ERI. The responses were drafted jointly by the Open Society Foundations, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma Issues of the Council of Europe, and the spokespersons for the Alliance for the European Roma Institute; an abridged version of the text is below and the full paper can be read here.  full story

UN Human Rights Council review of anti-Gypsyism will be webcast live next week

10.6.2015 3:12 Rita Izsák, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, will present her study of the human rights situation for Romani people worldwide before the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, 15 June 2015. Last year the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing that Roma have faced widespread discrimination worldwide, in all areas of life, for half a millenium or more.  full story

From the Balkans to the Baltics, Roma groups express support for a European Roma Institute

4.6.2015 21:10 During the past week, three declarations of support for the establishment of a European Roma Institute (ERI) have been issued by Roma from very different parts of Europe, in English, through the Roma Virtual Network listserv. Zeljko Jovanovic, director of the Open Society Foundations' Roma Initiatives Office (RIO), also discussed the idea of the ERI at a conference in Prague last week as part of the Khamoro World Roma Festival.  full story

Bulgaria: Regional governor says situation in Garmen is calming down

4.6.2015 17:03 The Focus Information Agency (FIA) reports that the Regional Governor of Blagoevgrad, Biser Mihailov, met with Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova this week to discuss recent anti-Romani unrest in the town of Garmen. "CCTV will be installed in the municipality by the municipal administration at the order of the mayor," Mahailov said.  full story

Norwegian photographer fascinated by Roma ability to maintain cultural heritage in desperate conditions

3.6.2015 15:15 In Oslo a book about Norwegian Romani people was recently been published featuring the photographs of Gorm K. Gaare. He has also documented the lives of Roma in Bulgaria, in the Czech town of Bělá nad Radbuzou near Plzeň, and in Slovakia.  full story

Nine aid workers of Czech NGO murdered in Afghanistan

2.6.2015 13:49 Nine Afghani employees of the Czech organization People in Need were killed last night during an attack perpetrated by armed men in the north of Afghanistan. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported the news, citing a local representative, and the Czech News Agency confirmed the reports with the organization's director, Šimon Pánek.  full story

France sees annual celebration of Sara e Kali, the patron saint of Roma

31.5.2015 8:47 On Sunday, 24 May, the traditional pilgrimage of Sara e Kali, a celebration of the patron saint of Romani people, Saint Sarah, took place in the south of France. The festival takes place in the village of Saintes Marie de la Mer and tens of thousands of Romani people from all over Europe visit it annually.  full story

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner criticizes Norway for taking Romani children into care

22.5.2015 9:21 Half of the children from Norwegian Romani families in Oslo are in foster care or at risk of being removed from their birth families by the courts. Nils Muižnieks, the Human Rights Commissioner at the Council of Europe, has included that information in his current report on Norway.  full story

video Marine Le Pen visits former Czech President, activists confront her in Prague

8.5.2015 11:38 Activists from the Young Greens (Mladí zelení) organization in the Czech Republic protested on 6 May at a conference called "Peace and Prosperity in Europe After the European Union" against the appearance of French politician Marine Le Pen in the Czech Parliament. The chair of France's Front National (FN) arrived in Prague on Tuesday and attended the conference, which was organized by the Civic Conservative Party (Občanská konzervativní strana - OKS).  full story

EP is for quotas on refugees, Czech politicians can't agree

7.5.2015 16:53 On Saturday, 2 May a total of 3 427 refugees were rescued from boats in the Mediterranean Sea during several interventions near the coast of Libya, according to the Italian Coast Guard. The service has been rescuing thousands of African immigrants from overcrowded smuggling vessels that frequently capsize on their way to Italy, with many lives lost.  full story

Boxer Tyson Fury, proud of his Irish Traveller origin, has challenged Wladimir Klitschko

Great Britain, 1.5.2015 5:46 BBC.com reports that Tyson Fury, the British professional boxer who is the current EBU heavyweight champion and has embraced his Irish Traveller heritage, will be the next challenger to Wladimir Klitschko. Last Saturday night Klitschko reconfirmed his position as world champion, defending his heavyweight title.  full story

Most Czechs agree with accepting refugees from war

1.5.2015 5:04 People in the Czech Republic are more willing to accept refugees today according to a survey performed by the Median agency for Czech Radio. The survey found that 42 % of Czechs would accept some refugees in a spirit of solidarity.  full story