The original czech version.
Parliament of the Czech Republic
Senate
Jiří Dienstbier
Chairman
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Committee
Prague, 21st July 2009
Dear Mr Bem,
The City of Prague Council leased the building of a former nursery in Prague 11, Donovalska 1862 to the Walking Together Civic Association in 1997. This Association completely renovated the derelict building and extended it by another storey with the support of the Prague 11 Council. As a result, more than twenty flats were available for the poorest and neediest fellow citizens. It is important to point out that this centre for homeless families was the only one in the City of Prague that provided services 24 hours a day and which prepared its residents for integration into everyday life in its supported accommodation.
The new Prague 11 Council closed the Centre with practically no compensation, on the pretext that there was a shortage of kindergartens in Prague 11. The residents were forced to leave the centre within three months in 2009 and the services of the Walking Together centre were closed down.
The unique character of the Prague 11 Walking Together centre also lay in their cooperation with the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. Foreign donors contributed more than 25 million CZK to this project. The donations were mainly used to build a church which forms a single architectural unit with the centre itself. When the foreign donors (churches, foundations, private funds) learned about the City of Prague Council’s decision, which they saw as utterly incompetent, they and foreign diplomats wrote letters of protest to you. More than 25 such letters were sent from these countries: Germany, Great Britain, the United States of America, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, and from the European Regional Secretary of the YMCA. A list of these letters and their texts are posted on www.sos-azyl.cz.
Dear Mr Bem, because the action of the Prague 11 Council is demonstrably damaging the good image of the Czech Republic abroad, the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic wishes to express its deep concern regarding the stance taken by the City of Prague in this very sensitive matter, relating to the care provided for our neediest fellow citizens.
We ask you to rectify the situation quickly - that is, to save the Walking Together Centre for homeless families in Prague 11, Donovalska 1862, so that their services can be provided in close cooperation with the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. If, due to the current reconstruction work that is being carried out, it is no longer possible to do so, then premises that would be equivalent to the former building and also financial backing must be offered to the Association, which would manage the Centre for homeless families. We also believe it is important that an appropriate apology should be made to the foreign donors as their support was an extraordinary sign of goodwill towards the Czech Republic. Such positive relations must not be jeopardized.
Signed by:
Jiří Dienstbier
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Tomáš Jirsa
Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Pavel Lebeda
Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Jaromír Štětina
Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Tomáš Töpfer
Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Karel Schwarzenberg
Member of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Rostislav Slavotínek
Member of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Vladimír Dryml
Member of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Jaroslav Sykáček
Member of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Security Committee of the Senate
Copies to:
-- Mr Dalibor Mlejnsky, Mayor of Prague 11
-- Foreign donors via their Embassies
-- Czech Press Office - ČTK
-- Selected national papers