This Extended Response to Information Request summarizes, updates and adds to information contained in the June 1996 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report Czech Republic: Roma in the Czech Republic: Foreigners in Their Own Land, and Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996, both of which are available at Regional Documentation Centres. This Response should be read in conjunction with these reports.Please note that a selected chronology of events is included at the end of this Response. For additional general information on Roma in the Czech Republic, please see Responses to Information Requests CZE22955.E of 9 February 1996, CZE20782.E of 29 July 1995, and the attachments to this Response. For information on the forced sterilization of Czechoslovak Roma, please see Response to Information Request CZE24943.E of 23 October 1996.

Human Rights Watch, Country Reports 1996 and other sources identify three areas of particular concern when examining the treatment of the Roma minority in the Czech Republic: general societal discrimination against the Roma, racist skinhead attacks against members of the Roma community and the level of police and judicial response and protection available, and finally, the question of how the 1993 Czech citizenship law affects the country’s Roma (HRW June 1996, 2-3; ibid. Dec. 1996, 215; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; IPS 24 Apr. 1996; New York Times 27 Dec. 1995).

Societal Discrimination

Sources indicate that Czech Roma face widespread societal discrimination and according to an Inter Press Service (IPS) report, Roma in the Czech Republic endure “prejudice, fear and loathing” (24 Apr. 1996; also see HRW June 1996, 5; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; New York Times 27 Dec. 1995). Czech Roma are regularly refused entrance to restaurants, pubs, stores, swimming pools and other public venues (ibid.; IPS 24 Apr. 1996; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; ibid. 20 Mar. 1996; RFE/RL 14 June 1996; The Warsaw Voice 23 June 1996). Roma also face discrimination in housing, education and employment (HRW Dec. 1996, 215; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; IPS 24 Apr. 1996; Transition 28 June 1996, 30; OMRI Daily Digest 5 June 1996; The New York Times 27 Dec. 1995). Many individuals have refused to rent accommodation to Roma (ibid.; IPS 24 Apr. 1996; HRW June 1996, 15). According to Human Rights Watch, Roma are “often segregated in ‘special schools,’ denied residency permits and refused jobs, solely because of their race or ethnicity” (Dec. 1996, 215; also see IPS 24 Apr. 1996). Many Romani children do not speak Czech at home, and when they enter the school system they are often placed in schools for the mentally handicapped rather than in remedial Czech classes (ibid.; HRW June 1996, 15; OMRI Daily Digest 20 May 1996). An IPS report does note, however, that some schools now offer a “zero year” in which Roma children can improve their Czech language skills before entering the first grade (24 Apr. 1996; also see Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5).

Estimates of the unemployment rate among Roma in the Czech Republic run from 30 to 70 per cent; according to IPS the national Czech unemployment rate is 2.9 per cent (IPS 24 Apr. 1996; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; Reuters 11 Dec. 1996). According to Transition, “ostensibly, it is illegal to make hiring or firing decisions based on race or ethnicity. The Roma surveyed, however, reported that firms will not take them; when they inquire about an advertised job, they are told the position is filled” (28 June 1996, 30). Human Rights Watch notes that the Roma have “suffered disproportionately from the difficult transition to a market economy. Roma are often the first to be fired from state-run firms and the last to be hired by private businesses” (June 1996, 4; see also Transition 28 June 1996, 30).

Racist Attacks

Racist attacks and incidents have risen dramatically in the Czech Republic since the fall of communism in 1989 (Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; HRW June 1996, 6; The New York Times 27 Dec. 1995), and most of these attacks are aimed directly at the country’s Roma population (ibid.; Kettle 1996, 71). According to Kettle, author of Extremism from the Atlantic to the Urals, the Czech Republic’s approximately 3,000 to 4,000 skinheads are “doubtless responsible for most of the 28 murders of Roma recorded since 1990” (ibid., 74; also see Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5).

According to Country Reports 1996, as of October 1996 there had been a sixfold increase in the number of reported racially motivated violentcrimes committed against Roma since 1994 (1997, s. 5). A December 1996 Czech Interior Ministry report indicates that racially motivated offences increased more than 600 per cent in the previous two years (Mlada Fronta Dnes 6 Dec. 1996). Human Rights Watch reports that there were 181 anti-Roma attacks registered with the police between 1993 and June 1996, noting that 42 of these attacks occurred in the first two months of 1996 (June 1996, 6). Human rights and Romani organizations claim, however, that many incidents go unreported; as a result of previous negative experiences Roma are often hesitant to seek police assistance, while others are simply afraid to go to the police (ibid.; Mlada Fronta Dnes 6 Dec. 1996).

According to Human Rights Watch World Report 1997,

the biggest problem [for Roma in 1996] stemmed from the local police, who sometimes displayed an open sympathy for ‘skinheads,’ allowing them to hold unauthorized marches and threaten non-ethnic Czechs. Police were often slow to respond to Romani calls for help and hesitant to make arrests, even after a violent attack. In some cases, police themselves used excessive force against Roma (HRW Dec. 1996, 214-15).

Country Reports 1996 also observes that local authorities have been either unable or unwilling to combat the growing violence facing the country’s Roma (1997, s. 5).

In an effort to improve police effectiveness in dealing with racist incidents, a special department within the criminal police section was established in January 1996 (HRW June 1996, 8; see also IPS 24 Apr. 1996). The new department is mandated to “deal specifically with extremist groups. Specialists from the various branches of the police, representatives of the Jewish community, judges and prosecutors have been invited to provide training to the new department, although, thus far, no Roma have participated” (HRW June 1996, 8). The police are also attempting to recruit additional Roma police officers¹ (ibid.; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5). The Human Rights Watch report concludes that these measures have had some positive effects: “Roma leaders claim that the police have become slightly more sensitive to their needs in the last year” (June 1996, 8).

Following the beating death of 43-year-old Rom Tibor Berki in his home in May 1995 by “four young men”, the Czech government introduced legislative changes in an attempt to clamp down on racially motivated violence (HRW June 1996, 8; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5). In mid-1995 the Czech parliament amended four articles in the penal code, stiffening penalties for racially motivated crimes, and the government instructed state prosecutors to “seek the highest possible penalty in crimes where race was a factor” (HRW June 1996, 8; IPS 24 Apr. 1996; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5). According to Human Rights Watch, “Romani and human rights activists report a noticeable improvement in the work of the courts since then” (June 1996, 8), while Country Reports 1996 notes that “nonetheless, many judges and police officers remain extremely reluctant to ascribe a racial motive to anti-Roma violence, even when skinheads are involved” (1997, s. 5). According to the Human Rights Watch annual report,

despite noticeable improvements in 1996, the judicial system did not always punish perpetrators of racially motivated violence to the fullest extent of the law. When cases did go to court, the attack was often viewed as a ‘personal fight’ rather than a premeditated act of violence against an individual on account of his race, ethnicity or color. Sentences were often light, which sent the message that such attacks are not considered serious (Dec. 1996, 215).

According to the June 1996 Human Rights Watch report on Czech Roma,

another problem Roma face in court stems from their poor understanding of the law. The generally lower level of education and occasional illiteracy among the Romani population leave them open to abuse by the legal system. In addition, few lawyers are willing to accept their cases, often for financial reasons. Some lawyers told Human Rights Watch/Helsinki that there is a stigma attached to working with Roma: having a Romani client could bring problems with the police and the courts, or deter other clients (10).

Human Rights Watch and Romani activists acknowledge that since mid-1995 the Czech government has taken several positive steps (outlined above) towards eliminating racially motivated violence in Czech society, and one Romani activist notes that the Czech government itself “is not racist” (HRW June 1996, 11). According to Human Rights Watch, “many of the specific abuses against Roma take place on the local level: in police stations, courtrooms and administration offices. ... Ultimately, [however] the Interior Ministry is responsible for the action of every police officer, the Justice Ministry for every judge” (ibid., 11-12).

Citizenship Law

According to the 1993 Law on the Acquisition and Loss of Czech Citizenship², all individuals from the former Czech and Slovak Federal Republic possessing Czech state citizenship³ automatically received Czech national citizenship (Czech Republic 1 Jan. 1993; HRW June 1996, 16). Those citizens of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic with Slovak state citizenship, even long-term residents of Czech lands, must apply for Czech national citizenship through naturalization (ibid.; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5). Human Rights Watch reports that this law particularly adversely affects the Czech Republic’s Roma population, 95 per cent of whom immigrated to the Czech lands from Slovakia after World War II and never updated their official state (i.e., Slovak or Czech) citizenship (HRW June 1996, 16). The children of these individuals, even if born in Czech lands, are also considered Slovakby Czech authorities (ibid.).

In order to apply for naturalization in the Czech Republic, individuals must meet certain conditions, including having a clean criminal record for the past five years and providing proof of permanent residency (HRW June 1996, 16). According to Human Rights Watch, in “many cases” Roma who met all of the law’s requirements were reportedly refused citizenship by local officials (ibid., 17). As a result of the citizenship law, an unknown number of Roma are without Czech citizenship and in some cases long-time residents of Czech lands have become stateless (ibid., 18; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; UNHCR Feb. 1996, 1, 29; CSCE 23 Sept. 1996). Other Czech Roma have been deported to Slovakia (HRW June 1996, 18). Country Reports 1996 states that 144 persons (not necessarily all Romani) were deported to Slovakia in the first six months of 1996; several hundred have been deported since 1993 (1997, s. 5). Those Roma who remain in the Czech Republic without citizenship “cannot vote or participate in privatization programs, and have difficulty obtaining social support” (HRW June 1996, 18). Based on the research conducted while preparing the June 1996 report on Roma in the Czech Republic, Human Rights Watch concluded that,

although it is difficult to prove with certainty, based on this research, there is substantial evidence to suggest that the law was drafted with the specific intent of restricting citizenship for the Romani population. In any case, there is no doubt that the law has had a highly discriminatory impact on Roma living in the Czech Republic (June 1996, 17).

The 1993 law has faced “substantial international criticism” (HRW Dec. 1996, 215; ibid. June 1996, 17; UNHCR Feb. 1996, 12, 19, 27; CSCE 23 Sept. 1996; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; The New York Times 27 Dec. 1995; Mlada Fronta Dnes 27 Apr. 1996; CTK 2 Apr. 1996; IPS 30 Apr. 1996). A February 1996 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) report entitled The Czech and Slovak Citizenship Laws and the Problem of Statelessness states that “the criteria introduced by the Czech government for long-term and, in some cases, lifelong residents on the territory of the Czech Republic for acquisition of nationality affected, primarily, one distinct minority group, the Roma (12). The UNHCR report further argues

that those who were permanently resident in the Czech Republic should not, in January of 1993, have been classified as Slovak citizens.... This attribution of Slovak citizenship to non-residents who have no effective link [to Slovakia] and have indicated, in fact, their link to be elsewhere does not conform with generally accepted rules of international law (27; see also Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5).

A September 1996 US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) report concludes that “‘the Czech citizenship law attaches to past criminal acts a heavier penalty (i.e., loss of the option of Czech citizenship) than existed at the time the crime was committed’” (CSCE 23 Sept. 1996). According to the CSCE, these conditions constitute ex post facto punishments which violate several international agreements including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 11(2)), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 15(1)) and the European Convention on Human Rights (article 7(1)) (ibid.; see also HRW June 1996, 17).

In response to the sustained international protest over the law, in April 1996 the Czech government amended the law to allow the Interior Minister to waive the clean criminal record requirement “on an individual basis, for ‘Slovaks’ who had been resident in the Czech lands since before the 1993 split” (Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5; CTK 26 Apr. 1996; HRW June 1996, 29; IPS 30 Apr. 1996). According to Country Reports 1996, as of November 1996 only 250 individuals had taken advantage of the waiver (1997, s. 5).

The June 1996 Human Rights Watch report Czech Republic: Roma in the Czech Republic: Foreigners in Their Own Land deals extensively with the issue of the Czech citizenship law, as do Country Reports 1996 and the attachments to this Response from The New York Times (27 December 1995), CTK National News Wire (2 April 1996), Libération (29 April 1996), IPS (30 April 1996), CSCE (23 Sept. 1996)and the European Roma Rights Center (1996).

Chronology of Selected Events: March 1996 to February 1997

March 1996

Rudolf Baranek, a candidate for the June 1996 parliamentary elections from the Free Democrats-Liberal National Social Party (SD-LSNS), posts a sign at his hotel in the southern Moravian town of Breclav barring Roma entry “because of repeated stealing” (OMRI Daily Digest 20 Mar. 1996; ibid. 19 Mar. 1996; ibid. 25 Mar. 1996; Romnews 2 Mar. 1996; RRW Mar. 1996). After protests from Romani rights groups Baranek agrees to remove the sign, but is moved from second to fifth position on the SD-LSNS party election list (OMRI Daily Digest 25 Mar. 1996; ibid. 20 Mar. 1996). Czech President Vaclav Havel describes the sign as “scandalous” (ibid. 25 Mar. 1996).

3 April

The Council of Europe publishes a report critical of the Czech citizenship law and its affect on the country’s Roma (OMRI Daily Digest 3 Apr. 1996; RRW Apr. 1996a).

23 April

The Czech Culture Ministry allocates 1.8 million Czech crowns to Romani organizations; of the total, 1.5 million crowns will go to the Society of Experts and Friends of the Museum of Romani culture (OMRI Daily Digest 24 Apr. 1996; RRW Apr. 1996b). This society has been raising funds to open a permanent exhibit of Romani art and culture in Brno (OMRI Daily Digest 24 Apr. 1996; see also Chronicle of Higher Education 26 Jan. 1996).

10 May

A group of 30 skinheads attack Roma at a tram stop in Brno (OMRI Daily Digest 13 May 1996; RRW May 1996a). OMRI Daily Digest reports that a fight broke out when several Romani youth came to the victims’ defence (13 May 1996). Police eventually broke up the fight and arrested several Roma, but “none of the skinheads” (ibid.).

23 May

A Czech high court rules that the May 1995 murder of Rom Tibor Berki was racially motivated, overturning a lower court decision that the murder was not racially motivated “because the attackers were not shouting slurs at the moment of the assault,” according to Romani Rights Watch (May 1996b; Country Reports 1996 1997, s. 5). One of the attackers has his sentence increased from 12 to 13 years, while another has his sentence increased from 18 to 20 months (ibid.).

28 May

President Havel is asked to dissolve or suspend the extreme-right Republic-Czechoslovak Republican Party (SPR-RSC) after its leader, Miroslav Sladek, appears in a television election ad stating that “the Gypsies will either behave as we do, or they can go. We don’t care where, how, and who pays for it” (OMRI Daily Digest 30 May 1996). Sladek further states that would not even allow his dog to attend a “Gypsy ball” (ibid.). In the past Sladek has sought to have all Czech Roma expelled from the country and has “urged city mayors to expel [Roma] from their municipalities” (Kettle 1996, 71; also see RFE/RL 3 June 1996b).

31 May-1 June

The SPR-RSC garners 8.01 per cent of the popular vote in the parliamentary elections, tying for fourth place (RFE/RL 3 June 1996a; Business Europa 1 June 1996; also see HRW Dec. 1996, 215). SPR-RSC support was strongest in the western and northern parts of the country (RFE/RL 3 June 1996a).

14 June

Municipal authorities in Kladno, a town east of Prague, ban Roma children from public swimming pools because of a hepatitis outbreak (RFE/RL 14 June 1996; OMRI Daily Digest 17 June 1996; The Warsaw Voice 23 June 1996). According to data from the district public hygiene office, Roma under the age of 18 account for 95 per cent of hepatitis cases in the district (RFE/RL 14 June 1996). Roma spokespersons claim the hepatitis outbreak is merely a pretext to prevent Roma from using the pools (OMRI Daily Digest 17 June 1996). The deputy mayor of Kladno, who is responsible for the ban, is later charged with “inciting ethnic hatred” (RRW June 1996; Facts on File 15 Aug. 1996

).

November

A sign banning Roma from a restaurant is posted in the northern Czech town of Litomerice (OMRI Daily Digest 12 Nov. 1996).

Early December

Several Roma children are hospitalized after being attacked by a group of skinheads in the town of Chomutov (Romnews 2 Dec. 1996).

27 February 1997

Miraslav Sladek and two other Republican party deputies are stripped of their parliamentary immunity (OMRI Daily Digest 3 Mar. 1997; ibid. 28 Feb. 1997; Central Europe Online News 28 Feb. 1997). Sladek is arrested the following day and charged with “spreading racial hatred” (OMRI Daily Digest 3 Mar. 1997).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Business Europa [Essex, UK]. 1 June 1996. No. 17. “Europa Brief: Czech Republic.”

Central Europe Online News [Prague]. 28 February 1997. “Czech Parliament Lifts Republican Chief’s Immunity.” [Internet] URL:www.centraleurope.com/ceo/news/02.html [Accessed 28 Feb. 1997]

Chronicle of Higher Education [Washington, DC]. 26 January 1996. Vol. 42, No. 20. Burton Bollag. “A Museum Devoted to the Largest Minority Group in Europe–The Gypsies–Gets a Home of its Own.”

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). 23 September 1996. “CSCE News Release: Czech Republic Called Upon to Amend Citizenship Law in Critical CSCE Report.” Washington, DC: CSCE. [Internet] URL: http://www.house.gov/csce/092396.htm [Accessed 18 Mar. 1997]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. 30 January 1997. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. [Internet] URL: http://www.state.gov/www. issues/human_rights/1996_hrp_report/czechrep.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

CTK News Agency [Prague, in English]. 26 April 1996. “Internal Affairs: Parliament Eases Conditions for Obtaining Czech Citizenship.” (BBC Summary 26 Apr. 1996/NEXIS)

_____. 2 April 1996. “Council of Europe Report Critical of Czech Citizenship Law.” (NEXIS)

Czech Republic. Act on the Czech National Council on Acquistion and Loss of Citizenship. 1 January 1993. [UNHCR/Refworld Database Legal Information]

Facts on File World News Digest [New York]. 15 August 1996. Vol. 2906. “Czech Republic–Official Charged in Gypsy Pool Ban.”

Human Rights Watch (HRW). December 1996. Human Rights Watch World Report 1997. New York: HRW.

Human Rights Watch/Helsinki (HRW/H). June 1996. Czech Republic: Roma in the Czech Republic: Foreigners in Their Own Land. New York: HRW.

Inter Press Service (IPS). David Rocks. 30 April 1996. “Czech Republic: Law Could Ease Pressure on Gypsy Minority.” (NEXIS)

_____. 24 April 1996. David Rocks. “Czech Republic: Gypsy Minority a Target for Hate.” (NEXIS)

Kettle, Steve. 1996. “Czech Republic,” Extremism from the Atlantic to the Urals. Paris: Éditions de l’Aube.

Mlada Fronta Dnes [Prague, in Czech]. 6 December 1996. Katerina Kratochvilova and Roman Gallo. “Czech Republic: Number of Racist Attacks Growing.” (FBIS-EEU-96-237 6 Dec. 1996) [Internet] URL: http://wnc.fedworld.gov/cgi-bin/retrieve [Accessed 25 Feb. 1997]

_____. 27 April 1996. “Czech Republic: Parliament Approves Amendment to Citizenship Law.” (FBIS-EEU-96-085 27 Apr. 1996) [Internet] URL: http://wnc.fedworld.gov/cgi-bin/retrieve [Accessed 25 Feb. 1997]

The New York Times. 27 December 1995. Late Edition-Final. Jane Perlez. “Czechs Use Laws to Exclude Gypsies from Gaining Citizenship and Voting.” (NEXIS)

Open Media Research Institute (OMRI) Daily Digest [Prague]. 3 March 1997. Jiri Pehe. “Czech Police’s Arrest of Extremist Leader Causes Controversy.” [Internet] URL: http://194.196.235.201/ bin/SearchList.html$ID=15995&Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 3 Mar. 1997]

_____. 28 February 1997. Victor Gomez. “Czech Deputies Stripped of Parliamentary Immunity.” [Internet] URL: http://194.196.235.201/ bin/SearchList.html$ID=15995&Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 28 Feb. 1997]

_____. 12 November 1996. Sharon Fisher. “Czech Restaurant Won’t Serve Roma.” [Internet] URL: http://194.196.235.201/ bin/SearchList.html$ID=15995&Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 17 June 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Romani Democratic Congress to Protest Pool Ban in Czech Republic.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=7405 &Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 5 June 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Post Denies Mail Service to Romani Housing Estate.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=7213&Page=1& Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 28 Feb. 1997]

_____. 30 May 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech President Petitioned to Dissolve Republican Party for Anti-Romani TV Spot.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList. html$ID=10085&Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 20 May 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Education for Roma Criticized.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList. html$ID=9794&Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 28 Feb. 1997]

_____. 13 May 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Skinheads Attack Roma.” [Internet] URL: http:// search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=9616&Page=1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 26 Feb. 1997]

_____. 24 April 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Funds Earmarked for Romani Museum.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=6994&Page=1&Max=25&Bool= true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 3 April 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Council of Europe Criticizes Treatment of Roma in Czech Republic.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=6446&Page= 1&Max=25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 25 March 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Candidate Demoted for ‘No Roma’ Sign.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=6182&Page=1&Max= 25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 20 March 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Politician’s Anti-Roma Sign to be Removed.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=6069&Page=1&Max= 25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 19 March 1996. Alaina Lemon. “Czech Politician Posts ‘No-Roma-Allowed’ Sign.” [Internet] URL: http://search.omri.cz/bin/SearchList.html$ID=6037&Page=1&Max= 25&Bool=true [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Munich. 14 June 1996. “Czech Town Bars Gypsies from Municipal Swimming Pools.” [Internet] URL: http://www.rferl.org:80/nca/news/ 1996/06/N.RU.96061416351677.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 3 June 1996a. Joe Schneider. “Party Representation in Czech Parliament Following Election.” [Internet] URL: http://www.rferl.org:80/nca/features/1996/06/F.RU. 96060317240217.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. 3 June 1996b. Joe Schneider. “Extremist Republicans Make Gains in Czech Elections.” [Internet] URL: http://www.rferl.org:80/nca/features/1996/06/F.RU.96060317293308. html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

Reuters. 11 December 1996. BC Cycle. “Czechs Get On with Germans but Not Gypsies--Poll.” (NEXIS)

Romani Rights Watch (RRW). June 1996. “Kladno Official Charged in Swimming Pool Ban.” [Internet] URL: http://hamp.hampshire.edu/*ratS88/romani/watch/rrw0696.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. May 1996a. “Roma Attacked by Czech Skinheads.” [Internet] URL: http://hamp. hampshire.edu/~ratS88/romani/watch/rrw0596.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. May 1996b. “Czech High Court Changes Regional Court Ruling in Case of Murdered Rom.” [Internet] URL: http://hamp.hampshire.edu/~ratS88/romani/watch/rrw0596. html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. April 1996a. “Romani Treatment in Czechia Criticized by Council of Europe.” [Internet] URL: http://hamp.hampshire.edu/~ratS88/romani/watch/rrw0496.html> [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. April 1996b. “Czech Romani Museum to Receive Funds.” [Internet] URL: http://hamp. hampshire.edu/~ratS88/romani/watch/rrw0496.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

_____. March 1996. “Anti-Romani Sign to be Removed from Czech Politician’s Hotel.” [Internet] URL: http://hamp.hampshire.edu/~ratS88/romani/watch/rrw0396.html [Accessed 6 Feb. 1997]

Romnews. 2 December 1996. “Child Blinded in Skinhead Demonstration.” [Internet] URL: http: //ourworld.compuserve.com/ homepages/romnews/rnn_1996.htm [Accessed 25 Feb. 1997]

_____. 2 March 1996. “More and More Restaurants in Czech Republic Ban Roma.” [Internet] URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/romnews/rnn_1996.htm [Accessed 25 Feb. 1997]

Transition: Events and Issues in the Former Soviet Union and East-Central and Southeastern Europe [Prague]. 28 June 1996. Vol. 2, No. 13. Alaina Lemon. “No Land, No Contracts for Romani Workers.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). February 1996. The Czech and Slovak Citizenship Law and the Problem of Statelessness. Geneva: UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe/Division of International Protection.

The Warsaw Voice. 23 June 1996. “Heard in Passing.” (NEXIS)

Attachments

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). 23 September 1996. “CSCE News Release: Czech Republic Called Upon to Amend Citizenship Law in Critical CSCE Report.” Washington, DC: CSCE. [Internet] URL: http://www.house.gov/csce/092396.htm [Accessed 18 Mar. 1997]

CTK News Agency [Prague, in English]. 26 April 1996. “Internal Affairs: Parliament Eases Conditions for Obtaining Czech Citizenship.” (BBC Summary 26 Apr. 1996/NEXIS)

European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). 1996. “Newsbriefs from around Europe, Spring/Summer 1996.” Budapest: ERRC.

Inter Press Service (IPS). David Rocks. 30 April 1996. “Czech Republic: Law Could Ease Pressure on Gypsy Minority.” (NEXIS)

_____. 24 April 1996. David Rocks. “Czech Republic: Gypsy Minority a Target for Hate.” (NEXIS)

Libération [Paris]. 29 April 1996. “Prague assouplit une loi sur la nationalité jugée discriminatoire vis-à-vis des Tziganes,” p. 9.

Mlada Fronta Dnes [Prague, in Czech]. 6 December 1996. Katerina Kratochvilova and Roman Gallo. “Czech Republic: Number of Racist Attacks Growing.” (FBIS-EEU-96-237 6 Dec. 1996) [Internet] URL: http://wnc.fedworld.gov/cgi-bin/retrieve [Accessed 25 Feb. 1997]

The New York Times. 27 December 1995. Late Edition-Final. Jane Perlez. “Czech Use Laws to Exclude Gypsies from Gaining Citizenship and Voting.” (NEXIS)

NOTES:

¹ Information on the outcome of this initiative is currently unavailable among the sources consulted by the DIRB.

² The Act of the Czech National Council on Acquisition and Loss of Citizenship of 1 January 1993 is available in English in the UNHCR’s Refworld database in the Refleg section.

³ According to a 1968 law Czechoslovak citizens also held internal citizenship in either the Slovak or Czech Republic (HRW June 1996, 16).