Human Rights Developments

Defending Human Rights

The Role of the International Community

Human rights groups operated relatively freely, despite efforts by Prime Minister Milos Zeman's government to deflect media criticism. The Counseling Center for Citizenship/Civil and Human Rights (CCC/CHR) issued recommendations on reducing discrimination. The Czech Helsinki Committee released reports on the protection of children, the police and prison system, and the new asylum and foreigners legislation. A coalition of gay and lesbian activists organized "Aprilfest," a series of discussions and events on gay and lesbian issues. With the support of Commissioner for Human Rights Petr Uhl and the Human Rights Council, the festival urged legislators to support a new bill authorizing partnership registration, although the Parliament had rejected a similar bill in December 1999.