The Situation of the Roma in the Czech Republic after November 1989
26-02-2000
The Situation of the Roma, 1989 - 1992
The newly-won freedom after the November revolution also changed the position
of the Romani minority. The Roma acquired in Czechoslovakia for the first time
the status of a national minority, which came along with the specific rights
of members of national minorities:
the right to be educated in their mother tongue,
the right to preserve their own culture,
the right to distribute and receive information ain their mother tongue,
the right to use their mother tongue in official contacts,
the right to associate on national principle, and
the right to have representatives participate in resolving matters that affect
them.
After November 1989, Romani organizations and associations could also begin to
arise, which they hadn't been able to do before, except during a short period
from 1969 to 1973, when the Federation of Gypsies-Roma was in operation. In the
first free elections, the first Romani political party, the Romani Civic
Initiative, stood candidates for the Parliament of the Czechoslovak Federation,
and 11 Romani representatives were sent overall by various political parties.
After the next elections in 1992, the Roma in Parliament dwindled to a single
deputy, who was sent by the Left Block. By the beginning of 1994, the Ministry
of the Interior had registered over 30 Romani civic associations, two political
parties, and one political movement. Most influential of these are the
Democratic Federation of Roma, the Romani Civic Initiative, and the Civic
Association for Romani Culture and Press.
|
|
Related articles
Also in section "The history of the Roma"
Most popular articles