All this taught me that silence makes you sick. In Czechia, discrimination and racism are not the exception but the norm, and institutions ignore them. Moreover, from school segregation to unpunished violence, this reality persists.
It took me almost fifteen years to understand that keeping silent was not the best option.
I repressed my voice for many reasons, and the main one was the gratitude I felt, and still feel, towards the Czech Republic for granting me political asylum.
But during all that time, no one spoke of what awaited me here. Institutions and support organizations never warned about the reality of racism in Czechia. Nor did anyone explain how minorities and foreigners are rejected by the system, or how few dare to denounce it.
Segregation
At first, I thought Roma people lived among themselves out of custom or tradition. Gradually I realized it was not a choice: it was real segregation, carefully hidden by the media and institutions. A newly arrived tourist does not notice, and a foreigner in transit won’t either. It remains concealed until one day, as is already happening in 2025, racism erupts in broad daylight because the perpetrators hardly face consequences.
Self-censorship
I experienced it myself. At first, I did not understand it, because in my country of origin —despite communist tyranny— it was not customary to reject someone for the color of their skin. Here, it is. Moreover, since I was not used to it, the violence of rejection struck me harder. For years I censored myself: no country is perfect, be grateful you were received. However, the impunity of racists and the indifference towards victims forced me to reconsider. Speaking became as necessary as breathing.
Somatization
Post-traumatic stress did not remain in the mind: it manifested in the body. For years I developed physical symptoms and illnesses that directly reflected what I was silencing and accumulating. In the end, prolonged silence turned into chronic ailments — further proof that racism and exclusion not only wound the mind, but also make the body sick.
Medicine that failed
For years I received deficient medical care, where basic tests were ignored and strong drugs were prescribed that worsened my health. Finding another doctor was a long and difficult process, as many refused to accept foreign patients. Finally, almost two years ago, I found exceptional doctors, humane and committed. Moreover, one of them, concerned about my condition, sent me for urgent tests. The results showed extremely low levels of vitamin D3 and B12. As a result, she prescribed an immediate plan with supplements and injections, which marked the beginning of my recovery.
A new beginning
Little by little, I began to feel better and returned to writing. My body had stored so much I could not express, but after hitting bottom I managed to rebuild my physical and mental health almost on my own.
Europe knows
For years, Europe has urged Czechia to comply with international human rights and minority protection treaties, with little effect. In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights condemned the country for segregating Roma children in special schools (case D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic). Nevertheless, this practice persists under other names.
The Wall of Shame
In 2014, the European Commission initiated proceedings for violation of the equality directive, a case still unresolved. In Ústí nad Labem, a wall was built to separate Roma families from their neighbors; although international pressure tore it down in 1999, social and mental barriers remain. As a witness of this reality, I have seen that neither rulings nor warnings from Brussels have changed the picture. Discrimination remains rooted, and racism, by and large, goes unpunished.
Responses from power
This is not an isolated incident: racism in Czechia is institutional, entrenched at the state level. Those who complain to the authorities receive generic answers, similar to those Roma receive: empty words with no real solutions.
Denial of help
When seeking help for discrimination, racism and violations, the presidential office responded coldly, claiming there was no right to complain. Even the Ombudsman, instead of protecting, replied with hostility, limiting himself to pointing out his competences without opening any investigation. As a result, an institution that should defend rights instead joins the pattern of indifference.
Impunity
My experience is not isolated. In fact, across towns and cities in Czechia, racism and violence repeat themselves with impunity that outrages. Moreover, one does not have to investigate much: recent cases show how far state tolerance goes toward those who despise others for their origin or skin color. In the Czech Republic, one of the few European countries where supremacists with fascist ideology can accumulate weapons without restrictions, permissiveness is alarming. For example, one documented case reveals a neo-Nazi who runs a shooting range, while others display their weapons and racist ideas on social media without fear. Finally, even the graves of Nazi soldiers from World War II are honored with candles, flowers, and toy tanks, a spectacle that in any normal country would be condemned, but here it is tolerated.
Nová Ves: when racism goes armed
In Nová Ves, for example, racist violence was laid bare without disguise. A local councilor insulted Roma workers, and hours later his friend threatened them with a shotgun, shouting that he would kill them. The police, instead of acting firmly, laughed with the aggressor and released him the same day, even though he admitted having more weapons for a supposed “war.” This case, documented by Romea.cz, the only outlet that covered it in detail, went unnoticed by the rest of the country. Moreover, when I compare these events with what I have lived, the pattern is evident: aggressors protected, victims ignored. In the end, whether in a small village or the capital, the result is always the same: impunity.
Closing
Democracy is not measured by ceremonies, but by the effective protection of its citizens. In Czechia, empty gestures abound while guarantees are scarce. Moreover, as the European Roma Rights Centre points out, institutional racism is rooted in the criminal justice system, perpetuating Roma exclusion. The silence of power in the face of this racism is not neutral: it is complicit. Therefore, the question is clear: will Czechia continue to hide behind hollow gestures, or will it dare to defend everyone equally? The answer will determine whether the Czech Republic aspires to be a true democracy or a state that perpetuates exclusion.
This testimony is part of the project Chronicles from Exile, an independent journalistic initiative that documents uncomfortable realities and denounces structural racism in Europe.