Czech Republic

Czech Labor Ministry taking social criteria into account during tenders

Prague, 12.8.2014 17:54, (ROMEA) The Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry (MPSV) signed on several months ago to a concept for responsible public procurement that views it as a tool to enhance employment, social cohesion and sustainability. Now maintenance work in the ministry's Prague headquarters is being performed by people from the Sociální podnik Černý most, s. r. o. (Černý most Social Enterprise).  full story

Commentary: Freedom of speech vs. Holocaust denial

Prague, 12.8.2014 3:33, (ROMEA) After the revolutions of 1989, freedom speech became a "sacred right" in the new democracies of the post-communist world. This was hardly suprising.  full story

Czech Republic: Police apprehend all assailants in Děčín incident

Prague, 11.8.2014 23:03, (ROMEA) Since last Thursday the criminal prosecutions of another two men have begun who are thought to have contributed to the brutal assault in front of the Calipso gaming room in Děčín on 30 July. The men have been charged with rioting and failing to provide first aid and were released on their own recognizance; they face up to two years in prison if convicted.  full story

Czech Gov't approves change for nonprofits, longer-term state financing will be available

Prague, 11.8.2014 21:24, (ROMEA) The Government of the Czech Republic approved at its session on 6 August a change to the "Government Principles for Providing Subsidies from the State Budget of the Czech Republic to Non-Governmental, Non-Profit Organisations by the Central Bodies of the State Admininstration" that was submitted by Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier, who also chairs the Czech Government Council for Non-Governmental, Non-Profit Organisations. The change will make it possible for ministries to conclude contracts with NNOs on long-term cooperation that will guarantee them financing in the years to come under certain conditions.  full story

Director of Lidice Memorial says Czech MP's remarks about Lety were unfortunate

Lidice, 11.8.2014 20:42, (ROMEA) Milouš Červencl, director of the Lidice Memorial, which administers the remembrance site at Lety by Písek, says Czech MP Tomio Okamura's recent remarks about the camp were unfortunate. "Especially at a time when all of Europe is commemorating the Romani Holocaust, about which there can be no doubt," Červencl told news server Romea.cz.  full story

Czech cell of international Blood & Honour organization indicted

Prague, 11.8.2014 19:20, (ROMEA) This autumn a nine-member group from various parts of the Czech Republic will be going on trial. According to the indictment, the group planned to assault specific individuals and called for violent attacks on the headquarters of political parties and on representatives of the Government and the police.  full story

Czech Republic: More charges to be filed against MP for Roma Holocaust denial

Prague, 8.8.2014 22:53, (ROMEA) On 7 August representatives of several nonprofit organizations met with the chair of the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust (Výboru pro odškodnění romského holocaustu - VPORH), Čeněk Růžička. The topic of the meeting was reaching agreement on filing a joint criminal complaint against Czech MP Tomio Okamura over the remarks he made in an interview for the political tabloid Parlamentní listy on the eve of Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.  full story

Czech Republic: Reward offered for information about assailants in Děčín

Děčín, 8.8.2014 21:51, (ROMEA) Notorious con artist Lukáš Kohout is planning an anti-Romani demonstration in the town of Děčín next week. The pretext for the assembly is an assault perpetrated in front of the Calipso gaming room there, the main aggressor of which is rumored to be Romani.  full story

Czech Republic: Yet another anti-Romani demonstration planned in Děčín

Děčín, 8.8.2014 17:00, (ROMEA) A brutal assault at the Calipso gaming room in the Old Town of Děčín has become the pretext for an anti-Romani demonstration to be convened there next Wednesday, even though the context of the incident was evidently not racist. The violent aggressor, who has already been apprehended by police, has been scaring both non-Romani and Romani locals for some time.  full story

Letter addressed to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on Mr Okamura's statement on the Lety camp

Strasbourg/Prague, 8.8.2014 13:19, (ROMEA) The European Roma and Travellers Forum, Konexe, ROMEA and Slovo 21, o.s. just sent a letter to the Czech Prime Minister concerning Mr Okamura's statement on Lety Camp.  full story

Czech ombud may soon acquire more powers, bill counts on it

Prague, 8.8.2014 0:20, (ROMEA) The Czech ombud could soon have more powers than the office currently holds today. In future she might be able to turn to the Constitutional Court to propose the abolition of contoversial legislation or parts of laws, and she might also be able to file public lawsuits over discrimination.  full story

Czech MPs who ran on Okamura's candidate list now protesting his Romani Holocaust denial

Prague, 7.8.2014 23:47, (ROMEA) The dedication and unity to date of the members of the "Dawn of Direct Democarcy" (Úsvit) movement's club for MPs vis-a-vis their boss, Czech MP Tomio Okamura, is deteriorating. Two Úsvit MPs have said they do not want to be associated with Okamura's recent statements insulting the victims of the Romani Holocaust.  full story

Civil society members of Czech Gov't Commission on Roma Community remind MP that Holocaust denial is criminal

Prague, 7.8.2014 22:20, (ROMEA) The civil society members of the Czech Government Inter-ministerial Commission on Roma Community Affairs have been outraged by Czech MP Tomio Okamura's public doubting of the suffering undergone by Romani people in the concentration camp at Lety u Písku. "Through his remarks published on 1 August 2014 by Parlamentní listy, [Okamura] has denied historically-known facts about the purpose for which the camp was established and what life was like there for the prisoners," reads a statement provided to news server Romea.cz by David Beňák, vice-chair of the Commission.  full story

Czech human rights NGOs say politicians have long devalued human rights protections

Prague, 7.8.2014 20:51, (ROMEA) The Platform for Human Rights and other human rights organizations have turned to Czech MPs and cabinet ministers asking them to express their support for the work of the Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Minister. The Platform emphasizes that a basic prerequisite for the functioning of a democratic, free society is the active, "pervasive" protection of human rights.  full story

Commentary: In Czech Republic, Romani evictees reunite in their old neighborhood

Ostrava, 6.8.2014 19:49, (ROMEA) On the occasion of the two-year anniversary of the authorities announcing to the residents of Přednádraží Street that they had to move out of their homes, an open meeting was held in the neighborhood on Saturday, 2 August by the former residents, their acquaintances and friends. More than 300 people, including the families who were the last to leave the neighborhood last July, gathered among the decrepit buildings to mark the anniversary.  full story

Czech MP faces first criminal charges over remarks about Lety concentration camp

Prague, 6.8.2014 18:03, (ROMEA) The first criminal charges have been filed against Czech MP Tomio Okamura, chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit) movement, for his remarks about the former so-called "gypsy camp" at Lety by Písek. The charges were filed by Šimon Heller (Christian Democrats - KDU-ČSL), who believes Okamura has committed the felony of denying the Nazis' crimes against humanity.  full story

Czech Republic: Two neo-Nazis charged in 2012 arson

Plzeň, 6.8.2014 16:42, (ROMEA) The Czech state prosecutor has charged two men who are promoters of neo-Nazi groups with committing an arson attack on a Romani-occupied residential hotel in the town of Aš in 2012. The daily Právo reported yesterday that the men face between 15 and 20 years in prison or even the possibility of extraordinary punishment if convicted of racially motivated attempted murder.  full story

Czech Republic: Roma say MP has denied the Romani Holocaust and discredited the victims of Nazism

Prague, 5.8.2014 20:18, (ROMEA) Czech MP Tomio Okamura's recent statements doubting the suffering of those imprisoned at the concentration camp in Lety by Písek have sparked an enormous wave of negative reaction. News server Romea.cz publishes below the opinions of several Romani people whom we contacted for comment.  full story

Jana Horváthová: Hodonín and Lety functioned as concentration camps

Brno, 5.8.2014 18:02, (ROMEA) Tomio Okamura is mistaken and his ignorant remarks have done further damage to his already-tarnished image. I am not very surprised, since as an historian I encounter relatively well-educated people rather often who mix up the various phases in the life of the camps that were in operation during the time of the Protectorate.  full story

Czech Republic: Ex-MP on probation for inciting hatred against Roma to appeal

Prague, 5.8.2014 16:36, (ROMEA) The Czech daily Hospodářské noviny reports that former Czech MP Otto Chaloupka has been placed on probation for six months by the Prague 1 District Court for remarks he made about Romani people on the Facebook social networking site. The court issued its ruling without a hearing in April.  full story