Czech Republic

Commentary: Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day in the Czech Republic after still-unexplained death of Romani man

14.11.2016 18:53 After the incident in Žatec it is hard for me to write, for many reasons. Thanks to my work with the "theater of the oppressed" I have relatively a lot of friends in the Romani community linked to my Facebook profile, so from afar I am following what is going on with them, and I must say it is not light reading.  full story

Marcel Ščuka: Romani man's corpse was not properly refrigerated, Czech Police allegedly lost his clothes

13.11.2016 19:46 Marcel Ščuka, a Romani community member who attended Friday's meeting with Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec regarding the death of Miroslav Demeter, a young Romani man, on 18 October in a pizzeria in the town of Žatec, recapitulated what happened at the meeting by broadcasting live through his Facebook profile and revealed some information about the ongoing investigation. Ščuka also called for the establishment of a new Romani political movement.  full story

Czech private foundation will raise money to honor Romani victims of the Holocaust - including from Roma

13.11.2016 17:46 In August of this year the Foundation for Memorials to Victims of the Romani Holocaust (Nadační fond památníků obětem romského holocaustu) was established with the aim of raising money for new memorials or the reconstruction and renovation of existing ones to the Romani victims of the Holocaust on the territory of the Czech Republic. The members of the administrative board of the foundation include Alica Sigmund Heráková, an expert at the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno; Karel Holomek, chair of the Society of Roma in Moravia, based in Brno; Gejza Horváth, a musician and staffer with the IQ Roma servis NGO in Brno; former Czech Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb; and former Czech Foreign Minister and current MP Karel Schwarzenberg.  full story

Incoming Czech Human Rights Minister authored amendment on anti-corruption

12.11.2016 7:55 Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) informed Czech President Zeman of his intention to replace both the Health and Human Rights Ministers yesterday before announcing it to the public. When the Czech News Agency asked Zeman's spokesperson Jiří Ovčáček whether Zeman agreed with the dismissal of the ministers, he first said he had no comment on the decision, then added: "As far as J. Dienstbier goes, the President's long-held opinion is known."  full story

Czech principal sharing building with all-Romani school does all she can to avoid social contact with its pupils

11.11.2016 19:30 The Czech School Inspection Authority is investigating the J.A. Komenský Primary School in Brno over some undignified measures that it has taken. The building of the school is undergoing reconstruction, so its management has had to agree to an offer made to it by a different primary school, ZŠ Merhautova, which owns two buildings, one on Merhautova Street and one on Vranovská Street.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani driver hospitalized after police tried to stop him filming them with his phone

11.11.2016 18:27 On Saturday, 5 November 2016 at around noon an incident occurred between the Romani driver of a personal vehicle and police officers who pulled him over at the Máj housing estate in the city of České Budějovice. After the driver attempted to use his mobile phone to film one of the officers during the inspection, a tussle ensued over the phone and the Romani man was then forced to lie down on the ground, where he was handcuffed.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani Holocaust survivors' association chair says he has no reason to doubt pig farm will go

11.11.2016 17:28 At the beginning of this week, the Czech Government approved a proposal to close the operations of the pig farm that is now located on the site of the former concentration camp at Lety by Písek and has commissioned assessments of the valuation of the land. News server Romea.cz has asked Čeněk Růžička, a member of the Czech Government Council on Romani Community Affairs and chair of the Committee for the Redress of the Romani Holocaust in the Czech Republic (VPORH), how he views recent developments around the pig farm, which he has long striven to remove.  full story

videoCzech Interior Minister meets with representatives of family of deceased Romani man

11.11.2016 16:49 Today at 13:00 a meeting was held between Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) and Deputy Police Director Martin Vondrášek with the legal representatives and members of the Demeter family, whose son died under still-unexplained circumstances on 18 October in the Czech town of Žatec. The meeting with the minister was attended by Romani community members Martin Bajger, Jan Čonka, Vladimír Hamouz, Josef Stojka and Marcel Ščuka.  full story

Czech Prime Minister Sobotka announces that Health and Human Rights Ministers are leaving

11.11.2016 16:25 Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) unexpectedly announced at a press conference today at 15:30 that there will definitely be changes to those holding the posts of Health Minister and Human Rights Minister. He said he had already informed both the Czech President and the leadership of the Social Democrats of the changes to the cabinet.  full story

Czech politician and sports figure convicted of buying Romani votes

11.11.2016 10:30 The former Deputy Mayor of Most, Hana Jeníčková, was sentenced on Monday, 7 November 2016 to eight months in prison, conditionally postponed for one year, for obstructing the preparation and conduct of the municipal elections there in 2014. The same punishment was handed down against the former director of the sports hall in Most, Jan Hašek.  full story

Commentary: The local dispute over "counting Roma"

11.11.2016 8:03 A very typical dispute about the "counting of Romani children" has exploded in the Czech towns of Krásná Lípa and Rumburk. Local media distortions are a part of it.  full story

Czech Police charge man with attack on NGO that organized donations for refugees

11.11.2016 6:29 Police in the Czech town of Pardubice have charged a 22-year-old man on suspicion of committing an attack in April 2016 on the Kašpárek Family Center by pouring paint on the doors and wall of the center and pasting a fictional obituary of center director Olga Pavlů on the front window. The man is charged with committing property damage and threatening danger.  full story

ROMEA launches first year of Literary Competition for Romani college students

10.11.2016 19:14 On the occasion of the International Day of the Romani Language the ROMEA organization in the Czech Republic announced its first-ever Literary Competition for Romani Students. College students of Romani origin can submit their contributions for the inaugural year of this competition now.  full story

Green Party says Czech Interior Minister must guarantee proper investigation of tragic incident in Žatec

10.11.2016 18:57 The Green Party in the Czech Republic believes the Interior Minister must guarantee the state will take an interest in properly investigating last month's incident in a pizzeria in the town of Žatec during which a 26-year-old Romani man died. There are suspicions that the intervention performed by uniformed officers was not proportionate in terms of the use of force.  full story

Commentary: Trump won. Should we admire him?

9.11.2016 12:31 Donald Trump has won the election. His purposeful efforts, worthy of a successful businessman, have become the symbol of today.  full story

Czech Health Minister, Human Rights Minister and Labor Minister may step down - PM and President meeting today to decide

8.11.2016 16:27 Three ministers are likely to be dismissed from the Government of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the chair of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD): Czech Health Minister Svatopluk Němeček, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Minister Jiří Dienstbier, and Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová-Tominová.  full story

Czech Radio marks International Romani Language Day by premiering radio drama based on a Romani fairytale

8.11.2016 9:57 Czech Radio's "Vltava" station, which focuses on culture, broadcast a segment dedicated to the Romani language and literature on 5 November at 9 AM as part of its "Weekend Edition" program. At 10 AM the station broadcast the premiere of a dramatized reading of the Romani fairytale "About the clever (but deceitful thief) Bajcúr".  full story

Czech Republic: Funeral of young Romani man who died after a scuffle in a pizzeria last month

8.11.2016 9:16 Yesterday more than 200 people attended the funeral, held just after noon in Lenešice near Louny, for the young Romani man who died in mid-October during an incident in a pizzeria in the town of Žatec. The situation was monitored by police, who were also on patrol in Žatec at the scene of the unfortunate incident.  full story

videoCzech Republic: Romani woman who saved five lives four years ago lives in a shelter because no one will rent to her

7.11.2016 15:54 "I still remember what happened back then, I frequently discuss it with my friends... or I sometimes jerk awake when I'm asleep and dreaming about the water. It's better now, though," says Irena Drevňáková, the Romani woman who did not hesitate four years ago to save the lives of several people who were in a car crash.  full story

Czech Gov't approves plan to close pig farm at Lety, wants estimate of land value

7.11.2016 15:33 The Czech Government has approved a plan to close the industrial pig farm in the vicinity of the remembrance site for Romani victims of the Holocaust at Lety by Písek. Spokesperson Martin Ayrer announced the news on Twitter without further details.  full story