_Arrested Development
Hints of harassment and discrimination in passport enforcement
By Angela Almeida
The true caliber of a student is tested best, perhaps, behind bars. For Heejung Kim, 22, her time spent at the Mustek police station in Prague was accompanied by the simple fear of being late to class.
“I said I have to go to school. The cops didn’t care,” Kim said. “They just kept saying I went against Czech law and would have to wait there.”
Kim (pictured at left) is one of many individuals caught in the Czech policy requiring tourists to carry their passports at all times. Despite being a long-standing law, the policy remains elusive for much of the visiting populace.
“I thought having a copy would be enough,” Kim said. “I had a copy of my passport, visa and ISIC card with me. They didn’t want to look at it.”
The website of the U.S. State Department notes that tourists in the Czech Republic are “expected” to have their passport on hand. However, it says nothing about the potential for arrest. Czech police may also fine individuals an unspecified amount for not having a passport in their possession.
Of greater concern to students is an apparent pattern of Czech police targeting youth for random identification checks. At the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester, three students attending New York University (NYU) in Prague were stopped.
“I was going up the escalator at the metro station and saw a cop look at me,” Ben Zweig, 19, said. “I had my passport, but I think he stopped me because he knew I was young and probably wouldn’t [have it].”
Like Zweig, Heejung Kim was stopped while exiting the Muzeum metro station with her friend, 20-year-old Natalie Holovko. Both Kim and Holovko provided officers with passport copies. Natalie was told she could go, since she has an EU passport, yet Kim was taken into custody. Holovko is Polish. Kim is Korean.
“I don’t think they’re going after young students or tourists,” Kim said. “I think they stopped me because I stood out – because I am Asian.”
Among expats, there is constant debate about the underlying Czech racism against Asians. Cindy Dam, a consultant who has lived in Prague for three years, wrote an article for the online news site Prague Monitor entitled “A Confession of a Vietnamese in the Czech Republic.” Dam wrote of common stereotypes – What do you sell? So you work in the factory? – as well as the lack of integration for Vietnamese in Czech society.
According to Heejung Kim, two other men of Asian decent were also waiting in the police station. Mug shots and fingerprints were taken of her and the two individuals. Luckily, Kim got released after 30 minutes without a fine.
“She [the police receptionist] said to be silent because they were going to fine ʻthe other Chinese guy,’” Kim said. “Then I was told I could leave.” Martina Faltová, a Student Life Coordinator at NYU Prague, warned students to carry their passports twice over e-mail after the students were stopped. Faltová learned of the incidents from students via Facebook. She, too, does not understand the law’s sudden enforcement.
“The passport law is not new, it’s been in effect for a while now, only the police seem to be stricter,” Faltová said. “I’m not sure why that is.”
The majority of the harassment occurred at the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester, when students were new to Prague, and to Czech law enforcement. Although reports of passport control subsequently diminished among NYU students, caution is advised for everyone who wants to avoid spending their first week abroad behind bars.
“It was definitely never something I thought would happen,” Kim said. “It was just such an inconvenience that it really isn’t worth not carrying your passport.”
By Angela Almeida
The true caliber of a student is tested best, perhaps, behind bars. For Heejung Kim, 22, her time spent at the Mustek police station in Prague was accompanied by the simple fear of being late to class.
“I said I have to go to school. The cops didn’t care,” Kim said. “They just kept saying I went against Czech law and would have to wait there.”
Kim (pictured at left) is one of many individuals caught in the Czech policy requiring tourists to carry their passports at all times. Despite being a long-standing law, the policy remains elusive for much of the visiting populace.
“I thought having a copy would be enough,” Kim said. “I had a copy of my passport, visa and ISIC card with me. They didn’t want to look at it.”
The website of the U.S. State Department notes that tourists in the Czech Republic are “expected” to have their passport on hand. However, it says nothing about the potential for arrest. Czech police may also fine individuals an unspecified amount for not having a passport in their possession.
Of greater concern to students is an apparent pattern of Czech police targeting youth for random identification checks. At the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester, three students attending New York University (NYU) in Prague were stopped.
“I was going up the escalator at the metro station and saw a cop look at me,” Ben Zweig, 19, said. “I had my passport, but I think he stopped me because he knew I was young and probably wouldn’t [have it].”
Like Zweig, Heejung Kim was stopped while exiting the Muzeum metro station with her friend, 20-year-old Natalie Holovko. Both Kim and Holovko provided officers with passport copies. Natalie was told she could go, since she has an EU passport, yet Kim was taken into custody. Holovko is Polish. Kim is Korean.
“I don’t think they’re going after young students or tourists,” Kim said. “I think they stopped me because I stood out – because I am Asian.”
Among expats, there is constant debate about the underlying Czech racism against Asians. Cindy Dam, a consultant who has lived in Prague for three years, wrote an article for the online news site Prague Monitor entitled “A Confession of a Vietnamese in the Czech Republic.” Dam wrote of common stereotypes – What do you sell? So you work in the factory? – as well as the lack of integration for Vietnamese in Czech society.
According to Heejung Kim, two other men of Asian decent were also waiting in the police station. Mug shots and fingerprints were taken of her and the two individuals. Luckily, Kim got released after 30 minutes without a fine.
“She [the police receptionist] said to be silent because they were going to fine ʻthe other Chinese guy,’” Kim said. “Then I was told I could leave.” Martina Faltová, a Student Life Coordinator at NYU Prague, warned students to carry their passports twice over e-mail after the students were stopped. Faltová learned of the incidents from students via Facebook. She, too, does not understand the law’s sudden enforcement.
“The passport law is not new, it’s been in effect for a while now, only the police seem to be stricter,” Faltová said. “I’m not sure why that is.”
The majority of the harassment occurred at the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester, when students were new to Prague, and to Czech law enforcement. Although reports of passport control subsequently diminished among NYU students, caution is advised for everyone who wants to avoid spending their first week abroad behind bars.
“It was definitely never something I thought would happen,” Kim said. “It was just such an inconvenience that it really isn’t worth not carrying your passport.”