Category Archives: Slovakia

The lawyer of the Rroma who sued the police for abuse following their arrest and abuse and who were acquitted last week, believes that the court will change the decision to free cops. According to the lawyer, it is incomprehensible that the District Court refused to accept the incriminating video as evidence without having to carry out an expert opinion. The prosecution appealed the verdict in any case.

– Advokátka týraných Rómov verí, že súd zmení rozhodnutie o oslobodení policajtov. In: Spravy Pravda. 18.05.2017. https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429913-advokatka-tyranych-romov-veri-ze-sud-zmeni-rozhodnutie-o-oslobodeni-policajtov/ [link-preview url=”https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429913-advokatka-tyranych-romov-veri-ze-sud-zmeni-rozhodnutie-o-oslobodeni-policajtov/”]

The Slovak president sharply criticised the lack of results in fighting poverty among Rroma. The Slovak President said he is convinced that the failure to address Rroma issues reflects the country’s inability to manage its public affairs.

– Slovak President sharply criticizes shabby results in combating Romani poverty. In: Romea.cz. 20.05.2017. http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/slovak-president-sharply-criticizes-shabby-results-in-combating-romani-poverty [link-preview url=”http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/slovak-president-sharply-criticizes-shabby-results-in-combating-romani-poverty”]

An article in English this time about the policemen in Kosice who abused several children and were freed by the court recently.
SHAME!

– Court again frees policemen charged with bullying Roma boys. In: The Slovak Spectator. 17.05.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20535570/court-again-frees-policemen-charged-with-bullying-roma-boys.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20535570/court-again-frees-policemen-charged-with-bullying-roma-boys.html”]

Ten police officers were freed of all charges for their abuse of Rroma children in Lunik IX, one of the notorious Rroma neighbourhoods of Kosice. The police officers allegedly forced the Rroma under the threat of violence to kiss each other in the corridor of the District Police Department of Košice, they had to strip, were forced with a gun on their head to lick the police officer’s shooes, and so on. The cops recorded the incident on mobile phones, sending shots to other colleagues, a scrawled and scratched record she got to the editor of the SME journal and published the content.
Bad that they went free.

– Súd opäť oslobodil obžalovaných v kaze šikanovania rómskych detí. In: Spravy Pravda. 17.05.2017. https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429760-sud-opat-oslobodil-obzalovanych-v-kaze-sikanovania-romskych-deti/ [link-preview url=”https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/429760-sud-opat-oslobodil-obzalovanych-v-kaze-sikanovania-romskych-deti/”]

The Slovak parliament approved amendments to the land law facilitating land consolidation and also helping settle the topic of land ownership of the Rroma settlements in the country.
Nice, but let’s see how it will be applied.

– Poslanci schválili novelu o vysporiadaní pozemkov pod obydliami Rómov. In: Aktuality. 11.05.2017. https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/486917/poslanci-schvalili-novelu-o-vysporiadani-pozemkov-pod-obydliami-romov/ [link-preview url=”https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/486917/poslanci-schvalili-novelu-o-vysporiadani-pozemkov-pod-obydliami-romov/”]

A reportage on the life in Slovakia’s Rroma slums.

– Life in Slovakia’s Roma slums: Poverty and segregation. In: Al Jazeera. 10.05.2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/life-slovakia-roma-slums-poverty-segregation-170425090756677.html [link-preview url=”http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/life-slovakia-roma-slums-poverty-segregation-170425090756677.html”]

Ábel Ravasz, the Roma plenipotentiary for the Slovak Government has some quite stereotypical ideas on Rroma… He states – partially rightly so, that many don’t speak Rromanes and that the younger generation tends to loose the language; but then ignores history when he says Rroma arrived in several waves from the 17th century; are a very diverse minority; are a patriarchal society; and so on…
Maybe get your facts rights …

– Rómovia hovoriaci po maďarsky sú pre Maďarov Cigáni a pre Rómov Maďari. A Slovákom sú úplne ukradnutí. In: Plus 7 Dni. 07.05.2017. http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/nerom-terene.html [link-preview url=”http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/domov/nerom-terene.html”]

A mayor of a village purchased a house (on communal funds) to move Rroma from a settlement in a village to another village 20 km away. Basically, it is the politically correct version of ethnic cleansing.

– Starosta kúpil problémovým Rómom dom o 20 kilometrov ďalej. Je toto riešenie na chatrče a getá? In: Dennik. 02.05.2017. https://dennikn.sk/717339/starosta-kupil-problemovym-romom-dom-o-20-kilometrov-dalej-je-toto-riesenie-na-chatrce-a-geta/ [link-preview url=”https://dennikn.sk/717339/starosta-kupil-problemovym-romom-dom-o-20-kilometrov-dalej-je-toto-riesenie-na-chatrce-a-geta/”]

Residents from a suburb of Poprad are trying to get rid of Rroma from their neighbourhood and are trying to prevent a community centre from being built.
Bad!

– V Poprade sa komplikuje spolužitie Rómov s majoritou, pomôcť majú hliadky. In: TA3. 27.04.2017. http://www.ta3.com/clanok/1104374/v-poprade-sa-komplikuje-spoluzitie-romov-s-majoritou-pomoct-maju-hliadky.html [link-preview url=”http://www.ta3.com/clanok/1104374/v-poprade-sa-komplikuje-spoluzitie-romov-s-majoritou-pomoct-maju-hliadky.html”]

Starting in September, the new land ownership rules take effect in Slovakia. The new rules allow for consolidation of land, something the country badly needs. However, this leaves Rroma exposed, as most of them do not have any landownership. There are provisions in the new law to allow Rroma in settlement to construct better homes, but the fear is that these will not suffice.

– Pozemky Rómov s novými pravidlami. In: Hospodarske Noviny. 26.04.2017. http://hnporadna.hnonline.sk/clanky/950406-pozemky-romov-s-novymi-pravidlami [link-preview url=”http://hnporadna.hnonline.sk/clanky/950406-pozemky-romov-s-novymi-pravidlami”]

The interview of the mayor of the town of Spišský Hrhov. This mayor is special, as he has been employing Rroma for nearly two decades in his company. And guess what, it works!

– Celý systém je nastavený na majoritu, preto nefunguje na Rómov. In: ETrend.sk. 12.04.2017. https://www.etrend.sk/trend-archiv/rok-2017/cislo-15/cely-system-je-nastaveny-na-majoritu-preto-nefunguje-na-romov.html [link-preview url=”https://www.etrend.sk/trend-archiv/rok-2017/cislo-15/cely-system-je-nastaveny-na-majoritu-preto-nefunguje-na-romov.html”]

The US Envoy in Slovakia is writing about Rroma in Slovakia on the International Roma Day. He seems optimistic. Let’s hope.

– There are efforts for positive changes in Roma community. In: The Slovak Spectator. 08.04.2017. https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20503104/there-are-efforts-for-positive-changes-in-roma-community.html [link-preview url=”https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20503104/there-are-efforts-for-positive-changes-in-roma-community.html”]

A bit of background for Slovakia’s citizen who don’t necessarily know much about Rroma. Not fully accurate, but a start…

– V Európskej únii žije 6 miliónov Rómov, v celej Európe až 12 miliónov. In: Spravy Pozri. 07.04.2017. http://spravy.pozri.sk/clanok/V-Europskej-unii-zije-6-milionov-Romov,-v-celej-Europe-az-12-milionov/1143775 [link-preview url=”http://spravy.pozri.sk/clanok/V-Europskej-unii-zije-6-milionov-Romov,-v-celej-Europe-az-12-milionov/1143775″]

A project – DOM.ov – in Slovakia is trying to help Rroma get better housing and build houses rather than continue living in shacks in settlements. The issue is always land ownership and authorisations to built, which are often not given on the site of the settlements.
These two issues prevent many Rroma from building better houses, and leaves them in precatory. The project aims to break up this by legalising the land, and obtaining permits and grants via microcredit.

– Rómovia nedostanú všetko zadarmo, musia sporiť a dom si kúpiť z pôžičky. In: Dennik. 02.04.2017. https://dennikn.sk/720838/o-30-rokov-budu-dnesne-deti-z-chatrci-stavat-pekne-domy-aj-vo-vasom-susedstve/ [link-preview url=”https://dennikn.sk/720838/o-30-rokov-budu-dnesne-deti-z-chatrci-stavat-pekne-domy-aj-vo-vasom-susedstve/”]