Category Archives: Slovakia

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia, the Holocaust, and the Aftermath

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A few days ago, Slovakia remembered one of the darkest chapters of our modern history – the creation of the wartime Slovak Republic under the leadership of the president of the ruling Hlinkova Party (HSĽS) Jozef Tis.

What memories did this experience of mass complicity in the genocide of one’s own population left in the Slovak collective consciousness and subconsciousness? How do the Slovak deal with this past, and are they willing to admit that they were often active participants Mass Evil?

An Ethnologist is investigating.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

More on the Slovak Relocation

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The relocation of the Roma community for the construction of the ecoduct (a wildlife overpass)  in Svrčinovec has raised a wave of resentment in both Čadec and Lopušné Pažite. Some of the Roma are planned to be relocated to a property in Čadec by the end of the month, a part to a house in the village of Lopušné Pažite, and a part will stay in Svrčinovec.

It shows how Roma are viewed in Slovakia…

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia: Relocation

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The relocation of the Roma community for the construction of an ecoduct (a wildlife overpass) in Svrčinovec raised a wave of resentment in the neighbouring town of Čadca where thy will be relocated. Part of them are planned to be resettled in housing estate in Čadci-Podzávoz, and the residents there have already started writing a petition. Roma talk about discrimination. The situation is also troubling the mayor Matej Šimášek, as no one from the competent state authorities is communicating with them.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Interview with a Teacher

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An interview with Stanislava Dotková, a teacher in a school in the infamous Roma housing estate of Lunik IX in Košice.

In the interview, she explains, among other things, whether the fact that she is Roma herself helps her in teaching Roma pupils, why they have a sensory carpet in the classroom and what she lacks in the education of excluded communities.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Zdeněk Godla

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The Romano actor Zdeněk Godla, starring in the recent movie “Invalid” spoke about working in a Slovak Roma settlement for the movie. He said he cannot understand how politicians can sinply do nothing about this.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia School Segregation

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After the supreme court judgement on school segregation, condemning the state and town of Stará Ľubovňa-Podsadek, another case of segregation was judged by the regional court in Prešov. This one concerned three Roma students in the Elementary School with Kindergarten in Hermanovce in the Prešov district. The court judged they were discriminated against. The parents of the three children will receive each 5’000 EUR.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia: Forced Sterilisations

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Slovakia still has not voted a law to compensate the victims of forced sterilisations in the country. The Czech Republic has already done so. A politician, Peter Pollak is pushing for it and comments it. Right now, with the upcoming parliamentary elections, the probability the law will be voted is small.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia: Segregation

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Another article about the recent condemnation of the Slovak state and the town of Stará Ľubovňa-Podsadek for having run a segregated school for Roma. The decision was made by the Supreme Court based on the appeal of the non-governmental organization Counselling for Civil and Human Rights, which confirmed that the state is responsible for segregation even if it arises only because the state neglects its obligations or fails to act. According to the Advisory Board, this judgment is ground-breaking.

“When these children finished primary education, they had very limited options of where to go. One of them wanted to be a car mechanic, but since he attended a special school, he had no chance to get the necessary education,” says Vanda Durbáková, a lawyer from the consulting firm, about the case.

Well done!

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Book Launch

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The Romani actress Alžbeta Ferencová was present at the launch of Elena Lacková’s book entitled “I was born under a lucky star” which was published for the first time in Slovak, 30 years after its first publication. Alžbeta is Elena’s great-grand daughter. Elena was the first Romni to publish a book in Romanes in Slovakia.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia: Commemoration

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Soldiers of the honour guard of the President of the Slovak Republic laid a wreath at the Roma Holocaust memorial in Dubnica nad Váhom during the commemorative event of the civil association In Minorita as part of the project “Ma bisteren!”. This was done on the  78th anniversary of the tragic events in which 26 Roma from the detention camp in Dubnica nad Váhom were murderedThe monument stands on the site of the cemetery where the victims of the detention camp for Roma in are buried.

République tchèque Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

A Portrait

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A portrait of Alžbeta Ferencová, a Slovak Romni whose great grandmother was Elena Lacková, the first author in Romanes in Slovakia. Alžbeta is a model, actress and singer, but moved from Slovakia to the Czech Republic, as she found that with her dark looks, she couldn’t get jobs in Slovakia. She says Prague is more tolerant.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia and Segregation

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The Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic decided that children who attend a purely Romani elementary school in the Stará Ľubovňa – Podsadek district are segregated in education. The Slovak state and the city of Stará Ľubovňa were condemned by the court for not having taken sufficient measures to prevent and remediate this discrimination.

The author of the article says that the topic of segregation is a complex one in Slovakia, mostly due to the existence of segregated Roma settlements.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Jan Hero

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An interview with Jan Hero, the Slovak Commissioner for Roma Communities. In the interview, he says that “undignified living or existence is not an ethnic problem”, spoke about how his childhood in a Roma settlement motivates him to work as a government representative for Roma, and that he expects politicians to use Roma instead of the derogatory “cigan”.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia: Segregation

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The Slovak Supreme Court ruled that at the primary school in Stará Ľubovna, Roma children are segregated.  The Court decisions is based  on the appeal of the non-governmental organization Counseling for Civil and Human Rights. It has been conducting court proceedings in this matter since 2015 after a public lawsuit was filed under the Anti-Discrimination Act.

The defendants are the Slovak Republic, represented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic, and the founder of the school, which is the city of Stará Ľubovňa. According to the judgment, the defendants “violated the principle of equal treatment by not taking sufficient preventive measures to protect against discrimination and measures to eliminate discrimination against Roma children” in primary schools based on their ethnic origin.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia, Roma and the Judicial System

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Another article in the Slovak press about the bias that Roma face in the judicial system.

Anti-Roma racism is not only widespread in society, Roma are discriminated against at all levels of criminal proceedings. This follows from research reports published by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC). The report states that accused Roma face discrimination at every stage of criminal proceedings by the police, judges, prosecutors and often their own defence lawyers.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Miss Slovakia

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A young Romni student from Nitra is among the 12 finalists for this year’s Miss Slovakia contest.

She is twenty years old and, in addition to her studies, she is also an activist. “I am a member of the Roma Youth Leadership Academy, where we are currently preparing the third Congress of young Roma men and women. This event will be run under the auspices of the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma communities,” she said.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Police Brutality in Košice

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The very long story of the police brutality against Roma in Košice which started in 2009 and saw Roma who had sued the police being brought to court is finally coming to an end. The European Court of Human Rights who had condemned Slovakia in the process awarded 20’000 EUR to each of the Roma.

At long last!

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

Slovakia, Education, and Roma

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The Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová came to the village of Toporec in the district of Kežmarok to see the impact of education on Roma. In that village, education is very important to Roma and the impact on their lives is visible: They live much better than their less educated brethrens.

The president considers the village of Toporec to be an example for the whole country.

République tchèque Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Slovaquie

ERRC Reports

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Two reports by the European Roma Right Centre highlight the discrimination of Roma in the justice systems of both the Czech and Slovak Republics.

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