What was the court case, D.H. and Others v Czech Republic, which was heard before the European Court of Human Rights, about?

D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic (No. 57325/00) was a case decided by the European Court of Human Rights concerning discrimination of Romani children in the education system of the Czech Republic.

Most children from the Roma minority in Ostrava attended special schools with simplified curriculum, forming the majority of their students.

The applicants — 18 Romani students, former and then-attendants of special schools, represented by the European Roma Rights Centre — submitted an application to European Court of Human Rights in 2000.

The Court had declared in 2005 the application admissible in part on Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination), combined with Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 (right to education) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The application in part was declared inadmissible.

In 2006, the Second Section of the Court has found no violation in the case, by six votes to one. The applicants appealed to the Grand Chamber.

In 2007, the Grand Chamber has found in the case a violation of Article 14, taken together with Article 2 of Protocol No. 1, by 13 votes to 4.

in 2017, children of Romani origin continue to be discriminated against in their access to education in the Czech Republic even after the launch of inclusive measures - while they are no longer being recommended for enrolment into the so-called "special schools", they are frequently taught separately from non-Romani children in "Romani" classes or schools.