Archive: Society | Human rights Human rights
Magazine
Czech celebrities discover flower food -though most Czechs still prefer
dumplings. Having trouble bending down? Jaroslav Kucera's sock-aid might
be just what you need to start the day. And, the Vltava river is being
prepared for a world championship in trout fishing! Find out more in
Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
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Czech group raises funds to help earthquake-struck Indonesia
The relief effort after the earthquake that shook Indonesia last month,
killing and injuring thousands, has drawn the support of governments,
charities and individuals the world over, including many here in the Czech
Republic. Tenggara, a group of Czech friends of Indonesia, is currently
trying to raise funds for a small-scale relief project they hope to launch
in Java. They held a benefit event on Tuesday evening, featuring
traditional Indonesian music and dance. More
Humanitarian aid for flood victims
Flood waters in the Czech Republic are slowly but surely receding and
though some areas are still underwater, the focus has now switched from
crisis management, to rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. With
thousands of people having been evacuated and dozens of municipalities
inundated, the cost of returning to normal life is bound to be
substantial. Where the money will come from and where it will go is
something that Radio Prague's Yon Pulkrabek looked into. He joins us in
the studio now.
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The importance of UNESCO: a last interview with Jaroslava Moserova
Jaroslava Moserova, who died from cancer on 24th March at 76, was one of
the most widely respected Czech public figures. Following the fall of
communism, she became well known for her work as a diplomat and then as a
prominent Czech politician. With her perfect English, learned as a
teenager in the United States just after the Second World War, she was
often interviewed by Radio Prague. One little known aspect of her work in
recent years was in UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, where she was appointed president of the General
Conference in 1999. She was convinced of the useful role that UNESCO could
play in the post-Cold War world, especially in education, and just two
weeks before she died she talked to David Vaughan about her work for the
organization.
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Demonstrators protest outside Cuban embassy on third anniversary of crackdown
A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the Cuban embassy in Prague
on Thursday, demanding the release of political prisoners on the island.
The protest, held on the third anniversary of the 2003 brutal crackdown on
Cuban dissidents, was organised by the Czech NGO People in Need. Simon
Panek is the head of the organisation.
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At home in Prague without a home
In the cold winter months, Prague's public trams and buses are full of
homeless men and women in desperate need of a warm place to get through
the night. There are an estimated 4,500 people without a home in Prague,
and though there are shelters, they only have beds for 550 people. On
especially cold nights, day centres open up their doors but all they have
to offer is a warm place and uncomfortable chairs.
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Czechs mark one year since tsunami disaster
People around the world have been marking the first anniversary of the
tsunami disaster in south east Asia. Here in the Czech Republic eight
families recalled the loss of loved ones, and many others said a silent
prayer for the thousands of victims who lost their lives in the disaster.
Also being remembered at the moment is the great charity shown by Czechs
following the terrible disaster.
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Chinese PM arrives in CR to discuss economic cooperation
The Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has called it the "visit of the
year". On Thursday, the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived in
the Czech Republic for a two-day visit during which he is meeting Mr Jiri
Paroubek as well as President Vaclav Klaus. Talks are expected to concern
mainly economic topics but to also touch on the issue of human rights.
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Interior Ministry announces proposals to change asylum system
The Czech Interior Ministry has announced plans for changes to the
country's asylum system, to reflect a fall in the number of refugees
arriving in the Czech Republic each year. The ministry says it plans to
close some centres and rebuild others, to improve conditions for
asylum-seekers. Groups representing refugees have welcomed the proposals,
but complain that other changes recently introduced actually curtail the
rights of asylum seekers.
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New school project to teach children injustices of Communist regime
It's just over two weeks until the 16th anniversary of the start of the
Velvet Revolution that brought down Communism in Czechoslovakia. But how
much do the nation's schoolchildren know about what happened here between
1948 and 1989? Not much, says the leading human rights group People in
Need. Throughout November they're visiting schools with documentary films
detailing the excesses and cruelties of Communism. They're also bringing
with them victims of the regime to share their experiences with pupils.
One of them was Jan Wiener, now 85, who escaped the Nazis as a Jewish
teenager and later fought in the RAF. After the war, he was rewarded by
the Communists with a prison sentence. Rob Cameron spoke to him at the
launch of the project in Prague.
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