Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Shocking testimonies from the Lety concentration camp

Prague, 4.8.2014 22:27, (ROMEA) Speaking on the eve of Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, Czech MP Tomio Okamura, the chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit) movement, has insulted the victims of the former concentration camp at Lety by Písek when he said in a statement for the political tabloid ParlamentniListy.cz that it was a lie and a myth to call Lety a concentration camp for Roma. Okamura claims no one was ever killed at the camp and that the imprisoned people who died there did so as a result of old age and the diseases they had brought there with them as a result of their traveling way of life.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: Okamura must resign

Prague, 4.8.2014 20:32, (ROMEA) Czech Human Rights Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) is convinced that Czech MP Tomio Okamura, the head of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" movement (Úsvit) must resign from all of his political offices because of his controversial remarks about the Lety concentration camp. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (ČSSD) said he believes Okamura is using the language of Protectorate propaganda from before 1945.  full story

Czech town cancels apartment tender after Romani woman makes the best offer

Brno, 4.8.2014 19:17, (ROMEA) The Czech Public Defender of Rights has drawn the attention of the Chamber of Deputies to a case of possible discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin in access to housing as part of her report on her office's activity during the second quarter. A town has canceled its tender for leasing a municipally-owned apartment after a Romani applicant made the best offer.  full story

Czech MP Okamura insults Romani victims of the Holocaust, media and politicians sharply criticize him

Prague, 4.8.2014 17:46, (ROMEA) Czech MP Tomio Okamura, the chair of the "Dawn of Direct Democracy movement" (Úsvit) spit in the faces of the victims of the former concentration camp at Lety by Písek when he was quoted in the online political tabloid ParlamentniListy.cz as saying it was a lie and a myth to call Lety a Romani concentration camp. Okamura claimed no one was ever killed at Lety and that the people imprisoned there had died either as a result of old age or as a result of diseases they brought with them to the camp that they caught as a result of their previous travelling lifestyle.  full story

Czech Police say attack on disabled man was not committed by a Romani person

Česká Lípa, 4.8.2014 2:25, (ROMEA) "A Rom attacks and robs a wheelchair user near the Andy department store in Česká Lípa..." - this was the title accompanying a video recording posted to YouTube last Thursday from the mobile telephone of Radek Bachtík, who according to the tabloid news server Blesk.cz is a 20-year-old high school student. The dramatic video shows a man kicking a wheelchair user in the face and has begun to spread online like an avalanche.  full story

Czech NGO wants to buy buildings from which Romani tenants were evicted

Ostrava, 2.8.2014 2:07, (ROMEA) The Life Together (Vzájemné soužití) NGO, led by Kumar Vishwanathan, wants to buy buildings on Přednádraží Street in Ostrava which are now going up for auction. News server Lidovky.cz reports that the NGO's aim is to make it possible for the Romani tenants who were evicted from the properties to return to their homes.  full story

Czech Helsinki Committee, Human Rights Minister draft law to compensate forced sterilization victims

Prague, 1.8.2014 23:32, (ROMEA) The Czech Helsinki Committee and Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) are preparing a draft law on compensating people who have been forcibly sterilized. The victims would reportedly receive anywhere between CZK 100 000 and CZK 150 000 (EUR 3 600 and EUR 5 400).  full story

Czech Culture Minister wants to solve the problem of the pig farm at Lety

Lety u Písku, 1.8.2014 22:48, (ROMEA) Paying his respects to Romani Holocaust victims while commemorating the former "gypsy camp" at Lety by Písek, Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman (Christian Democrats - KDU-ČSL) said there must be zero tolerance for hatred, racism and xenophobia in the Czech Republic. The minister said he believes such sentiments should not be taken lightly.  full story

Czech MP apologizes for insulting children in state care

Prague, 1.8.2014 16:43, (ROMEA) Czech MP Marek Benda (Civic Democrats - ODS), speaking on a Czech Television program, insulted children who are wards of the state by saying they are "of no use". The MP made the insulting remarks during a debate with Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) when the conversation turned to adopting children in state care.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: A pig farm on a site of human suffering disrespects both survivors and victims

Prague, 1.8.2014 15:55, (ROMEA) Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier has indicated that he would like to attempt to remove the pig farm in Lety by Písek from the site of a former WWII-era camp for Romani people there. "Given that there was a concentration camp in Lety where many people suffered, the fact that a pig farm is on that site disrespects both the survivors and the victims," he told news server iDNES.cz.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion presents 2013 report to cabinet

Prague, 31.7.2014 18:40, (ROMEA) The following is a press release from the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion:  full story

Social Watch criticizes Czech Republic over anti-Romani protests, residential hotels

Prague, 30.7.2014 18:28, (ROMEA) The international NGO coalition Social Watch has criticized the Czech Republic in its annual report for last year over the rise in overpriced, substandard residential hotels housing the indigent and the ongoing anti-Romani demonstrations in the country. The report also reiterates that there are too few women in Czech politics.  full story

Czech Republic: Local officials reiterate intention to collect on bad debts

Most, 30.7.2014 17:40, (ROMEA) Distorted information is being spread through the Czech media and social networking sites about the town of Most, claiming that officials there have forgiven the debts owed the municipality by residents of the Chanov housing estate. "That is not true," Deputy Mayor Hana Jeníčková says of this misinterpretation of the facts.  full story

Czech Republic: Activists, evictees to hold open meeting on housing in Ostrava

Ostrava, 29.7.2014 15:57, (ROMEA) The following is a press release from the former residents of Přednádraží Street:  full story

Number of Romani college graduates rising in Czech Republic

Prague, 28.7.2014 22:18, (ROMEA) A Bachelor's in economics, a doctorate in law or a Master's in pedagogy. In the Czech Republic, thanks to special scholarships, the number of Romani college graduates is slowly increasing.  full story

Czech town stops collections on back rent worth CZK 30 million

Most, 28.7.2014 19:34, (ROMEA) Czech Television reports that the town hall of Most has stopped collections proceedings against 120 families living at the Chanov housing estate for debts worth roughly CZK 30 million. The town is also reportedly no longer seeking repayment of back rent and utility bills.  full story

Czech Republic: Water cut to yet another building because landlord didn't pay

Děčín, 28.7.2014 19:05, (ROMEA) The owner of yet another piece of real estate in the Czech Republic has not paid the water bill, so the water was shut off to the entire building on Vítězství Street in Děčín on 15 July. Six families are living there, all of them without running water.  full story

Czech ombud: Inclusive education the only way out of life in a segregated society

Brno, 25.7.2014 23:05, (ROMEA) Anna Šabatová, the recently-appointed ombud, brings a very important personal experience to the post from her pre-1989 past. As a dissident against the former regime, she has experienced what it is to be a minority in society.  full story

Czech Republic: Arson at detention facility, 50 people evacuated

Bělá pod Bezdězem (Mladá Boleslav district), 24.7.2014 18:47, (ROMEA) In the town of Bělá pod Bezdězem a residential hotel housing foreign nationals awaiting deportation caught fire this morning. Someone intentionally set fire to one of the rooms in the facility, which is run by the Czech Interior Ministry.  full story

Commentary: Pets, yes, children and foreigners, no

Prague, 24.7.2014 0:16, (ROMEA) Last week news server Romea.cz published a report about the fact that the North Bohemian Water Supply and Sewerage (Severočeské vodovody a kanalizace - SČVK) company had disconnected a residential hotel in Ústí nad Labem because the owner had not paid the bills, and several people commented online. One contributor posted that she didn't understand why anyone was still living in the facility since it had experienced those problems for such a long time and there are enough apartments for rent elsewhere.  full story