Tag Archives: Human Rights

Slovakia, Police, and Roma

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Slovakia, Police, and Roma

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has allowed the Public Defender of Rights (VOP) Róbert Dobrovodský, as a third party, to enter the proceedings in the case of Miko and Jano v. Slovakia. This case concerns a police intervention in the village of Milhosť in 2023, in which, according to the findings of the Office of the Public Defender of Rights, serious violations of fundamental rights and freedoms, including the rights of minors, occurred.

On March 28, 2025, Róbert Dobrovodský, Public Defender of Rights, submitted an extraordinary report to the National Council of the Slovak Republic. In it, he revealed facts that indicate a violation of fundamental rights and freedoms by the actions of the Police Force.

“The case of the death of a person after the intervention of the Košice police, which shook Slovakia at the end of 2024, violence during interrogation, the case of a beaten homeless person in front of a department store, an unprovoked slap on a handcuffed person, an official intervention against Roma from Milhoste, the detention of a person with broken heels in an illegal reserved area for more than three days, the violation of the rights of a person held by the Bratislava police without proper registration for more than 12 hours, or the official intervention in March 2023 in the Police Detention Unit for Foreigners in Sečovce against foreigners,” Dobrovodský warned at the time.

US Report on Bulgaria

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US Report on Bulgaria

Murder, torture, cruel treatment or punishment continue to be major human rights violations in Bulgaria. This is stated in the new annual report of the United States on the state of human rights in 2024.

However, the document does not mention corruption, as well as discrimination based on ethnicity and sexual orientation, which remain a serious problem in Bulgaria. The news comes more than a year after the last report on the topic, which pointed to corruption, police violence and discrimination as the main problems in Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, a predictable outcome…

Czech Republic: Trial

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Lawyers of the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) and the Forum for Human Rights (FORUM) filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against the Czech Republic over the death of Roma Stanislav Tomáš during a police intervention in Teplice in 2021. The Czech Constitutional Court rejected a complaint by the organization in April 2023. The case before the court is being conducted on behalf of the surviving family member of the deceased Roma.

Moldova: Award

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The US Embassy in Moldova congratulated activist Victorina Luca on receiving the Global Anti-Racism Hero Award. She is the first member of the Roma Council for the Prevention of Discrimination and Ensuring Equality.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken noted that her work to end discrimination in Moldova and protect the interests of the Moldovan Roma community is an example for everyone. “We honour Victorina and all human rights defenders and are proud to work with them to solve current problems and build a more democratic, prosperous and secure future in Moldova,” Blinken said at the award ceremony.

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