Czech Republic

Czech ombud warns Education Ministry against perpetuating segregation

20.4.2015 16:17 The Czech Public Defender of Rights (the ombud) Anna Šabatová disagrees with the Czech Education's proposal that children be permitted to spend their mandatory final year of preschool in what are called preparatory classes. She is concerned that this could lead to such children being segregated from others from the very start of their educational careers.  full story

Czech children's theater director to leave at year's end over allegedly racist remarks

20.4.2015 7:34 Speculation around the choice of Vlastimil Peška to direct the Divadlo Radost children's theater in Brno and the allegedly racist remarks he made during the job interview is continuing. Deputy Mayor of Brno Matěj Hollan, who is responsible for cultural and social issues, has announced that Peška should remain as director only until the end of the year, when he will evidently be replaced by Tomáš Pavčík, who was the hiring commission's second choice.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion renews work in 10 locations

19.4.2015 1:03 At the start of April the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion renewed its collaboration with 10 cities, municipalities and a Regional Authority. The renewed collaboration focuses primarily on coordinating the drawing of social inclusion funds during the current European Union funding period.  full story

Czech Deputy Human Rights Minister says changes will make Agency even stronger

18.4.2015 0:20 The Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion, which falls within the purview of Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD), has organizational changes ahead of it. The Agency will soon stop working in its current form and should split into two sections.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion staff protest removal of director

17.4.2015 21:35 Staff members of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion have sent an open letter to Czech Human Rights Minister Dienstbier protesting his removal of the Agency's director. News server Romea.cz brings you their letter in full translation below.  full story

Will the Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion survive its director's departure?

17.4.2015 20:40 On Thursday, 16 April, Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier removed Martin Šimáček from his post as director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. Šimáček said in an interview for news server Romea.cz that what lies behind the change is a law on state service that is about to take effect.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani figures respond to removal of director of Agency for Social Inclusion

17.4.2015 19:10 News server Romea.cz has contacted Romani activists, experts and politicians for their reactions to the removal of Martin Šimáček from the post of director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. We asked them 1) what they think of his removal and 2) whether they know what the reasons for it are.  full story

Former director of Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion says its future is uncertain

17.4.2015 18:13 The Czech Human Rights Minister has removed Martin Šimáček from his post as director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. News server Romea.cz interviewed him about the impact of his removal and the reasons for it.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister removes director of Agency for Social Inclusion

17.4.2015 17:29 Yesterday the Czech Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation, Jiří Dienstbier, removed Martin Šimáček as the director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion. News server Romea.cz was the first to break the news today in the Czech Republic.  full story

Interview with Czech manager who doesn't hire Roma as housekeepers

16.4.2015 17:12 News server Romea.cz has obtained a recording in which Anna Pižlová, manager of the Clinea firm, refuses to invite a Romani woman to interview for a housekeeping position. On the recording, the manager explains that her clients would not want the woman because of her nationality.  full story

Commentary: Can a "trafficker in poverty" improve the participation of impoverished Romani people?

15.4.2015 23:56 The creation of the Romani Council of Ostrava has raised big expectations that are shared not just by local and national politicians, but also by Romani activists and experts. No one seems bothered by the fact that the chair of the Romani Council and the organizer of the elections that chose its officers is Vladimír Leško - or at least, no one will publicly say so.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani Council of Ostrava gets politicians' blessing

15.4.2015 22:34 Yesterday in Ostrava representatives of the local Romani Council and its team of Romani experts met with politicians. Members of the Romani Council as well as political representatives view the creation of the Council as a milestone in collaboration between the Romani community and the city when it comes to solving their common problems.  full story

Czech Interior Ministry supports Roma-targeted projects in Kolín

Kolín, 15.4.2015 20:04 The Czech town of Kolín will begin a so-called Romani mentoring project in mid-year to aid Romani people with financial literacy and finding work. The aim is to keep Romani people from falling into the debt trap and intensifying the problems of socially excluded localities.  full story

Czech Labor Minister: Social problems solvable if towns would just access public funding

15.4.2015 19:18 The Czech Labor Office is able to help address social problems at the Janov housing estate in Litvínov. Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) has recommended that the local government use money from the Labor Office to hire crime prevention assistants or maintenance workers.  full story

Czech court sentences attacker to six years for six crimes against Romani family

14.4.2015 20:36 At the beginning of April a verdict was handed down in the case of a violent racially-motivated attack against a Romani family whose identities we are not reporting at their request. The defendant has been unconditionally sentenced by the first-instance Regional Court to six years in maximum-security prison and his driver's license has been suspended for a year and a half.  full story

Czech Police propose pressing charges over publication of radical Islamic book

Prague, 14.4.2015 17:51 The Czech Police have proposed pressing charges over the publication of a radical Islamic book. Czech Television reported today that Pavel Hanták, spokesperson for the Organized Crime Detection Unit, announced the recommendation.  full story

Czech branch of Russia's "Wotan Jugend" to stand trial

14.4.2015 1:00 Police and prosecutors have completed their investigation into the case of the establishment of a Czech cell of the neo-Nazi organization Wotan Jugend, based in Russia. Five people charged with the crimes of establishing, supporting and promoting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms will stand trial on Wednesday, 15 April.  full story

Czech Republic: 30 injured after Čunek's container housing catches fire

Vsetín, 14.4.2015 0:14, (ROMEA) Approximately 50 people had to be evacuated during a blaze in the prefabricated containers known as the "Čunek houses" in the Poschlá quarter of Vsetín, where a total of seven firefighting units had to intervene on 31 March after 15:00. The insulation on the first floor of the containers caught fire and two other stories were extensively damaged by smoke.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani quintuplets have a new account for donations

Milovice/Prague, 13.4.2015 20:59, (ROMEA) At the start of April a new transparent account was opened for donations to the first-ever family of quintuplets in the Czech Republic. The purpose of the public fundraising campaign, which has been announced by the Maminky dětem (Mothers to Children) group in the town of Milovice, is to finance the quintuplets' needs until they attain majority.  full story

Czech Republic: 30 Romani people demonstrate for reopening of murder investigation

13.4.2015 3:40 Just 30 people assembled on Saturday, 11 April in the Czech town of Tanvald for a demonstration demanding a new investigation into the case of the shooting death of Ladislav Tatár, Jr. Jan Sieber of Tanvald was 63 years old when he shot the Romani youth and his brother in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2012.  full story