Supreme Court raises compensations in Roma eviction case

The Supreme Court has increased compensation for children from Romani families who were evicted from their homes in the Moravian town of Vsetín in 2006. They will receive sums ranging between CZK 10,000 to CZK 95,000.

The decision to move several hundred Romani rent-defaulters out of a dilapidated block of flats in the town was made by the then mayor Jiří Čunek from the Christian Democratic Party, who faced much criticism for the move.

The people were moved to portacabins and rundown buildings, some of which lacked basic necessities like electricity and running water. According to the judge, the move led to broken social ties and in one case to a family break-up.