U.S. diplomats discuss situation of Romani people in Europe during Czech visit

Representatives of nine U.S. embassies from the Central and East European region, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Helsinki Commission met in Prague and Brno in April to discuss the current situation of Roma in the region. The representatives shared best practices, policies and projects that help to successfully integrate Roma people into majority societies and to empower them.

The main topics discussed were inclusive education, housing and the media. Romani activist Čeněk Růžička, whose family members were imprisoned at the Lety camp during World War II, shared his family story with the group at the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador and talked about the plans for the creation of a new memorial at the site of the former camp.

On Sunday, 13 May the annual commemorative ceremony will take place at Lety. It will be the first such ceremony during which there will no longer be pigs on the site of the former concentration camp.