4 August 2011 – In a letter to the Macedonian government, refugee and Roma rights organisations have expressed concerns that the recent measures which have been taken in order to prevent Macedonian citizens from seeking asylum in the EU would violate basic human rights principles. In a move to diffuse pressures from the side of the European Union, the Macedonian authorities have recently kept several hundred Macedonian citizens from leaving their country.

Over the last few months, refugee organisations and professionals working with asylum seekers noticed that asylum seekers from Serbia and Macedonia would suddenly drop their application and return to their home country citing fears of punishment. More recently, evidence appeared that the Macedonian authorities kept Roma from leaving Macedonia under the pretence that they would apply for asylum abroad. According to a statement made by the Macedonian Minister of Interior, Gordana Jankulovska, at the so-called Salzburg Forum, which brings together the Ministers of Interior of eight Central and Eastern European States, 764 Macedonian citizens were prevented from leaving Macedonia between April 29th and June 27th. Prior to this meeting, she declared that the persons, who would be rejected at the Macedonian border, would have their passports stamped as a “clear sign to our colleagues at the other border crossings that these persons need to be subjected to additional controls.” She added that the purpose of this measure was to prevent these people from abusing the visa-free system and damage Macedonia’s reputation abroad.

Roma who were deported to Macedonia claimed that they lost their social benefits upon their return. Macedonian Roma NGOs, which have been enrolled as part of the government’s campaign to curb the number of asylum seekers, reported warning their clients that they would risk losing their social benefits and health coverage and might even be issued a travel ban. According to Macedonian media reports, the same NGOs were given the task of informing the Roma constituency that they might face imprisonment upon their return. Indeed, the Macedonian government has made several attempts to criminalise emigration. In July, the former Minister of Justice, Antonio Milošoski, presented a draft proposal for a reform of the criminal code aimed at introducing the abuse of the visa-free regime within the EU as a criminal offense. Accordingly, travel companies and tour operators, who would transport persons, trying to stay in the EU, would face imprisonment of up to five years, even if they were unaware of these persons’ intentions. The same minister also announced another law reform, which would enable the Macedonian authorities to deprive failed asylum seekers and returned migrants of their passports.

According to the NGOs, these measures are not only in contradiction with the Macedonian constitution, but also violate basic principles of international human rights. They remind the Macedonian government that freedom of movement, which includes the right of every person to leave every country including his or her own, is protected by several international conventions and treaties, which Macedonia has subscribed to. They highlight the absence of a legal basis and criteria upon which people are prevented from travelling. They also point out that the freedom of movement is concomitant with the right to have a passport, which can only be restricted under very specific conditions. They also warn that although only a few Macedonian citizens have been granted asylum recently, it does not imply that these citizens do not have the right to seek asylum. In this context, the NGOs point out that international organisations including the EU Commission have remained concerned about the widespread discrimination of Roma in Macedonia and their social marginalization.

They also express concerns about the discriminatory character of the governmental measures as Roma are the most targeted. The NGOs call on the Macedonian government to refrain from any measures which are not in accordance with international human rights law. Instead, they invite the government to combat poverty and discrimination as the root causes for Roma to apply for asylum. Finally, the NGOs ask the Macedonian government to integrate the Kosovo Roma refugees who have been kept in limbo since their violent expulsion from Kosovo, more than twelve years ago.

Chachipe a.s.b.l.

The letter is available here: http://romarights.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/letter_macedonian_authorities_030811.pdf

Now Accepting Applications! Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, Deadline: May 27 - http://bit.ly/gtyZHj 

The International Women’s Media Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2011-12 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, named for the 1998 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner and The Boston Globe correspondent who was killed in Iraq in May 2003.

The fellowship will run from September 2011 to March 2012. The application deadline is May 27, 2011. This program, created with Neuffer’s family and friends, aims to perpetuate her memory and advance her life mission of promoting international understanding of human rights and social justice while creating an opportunity for women journalists to build their skills.

One woman journalist will be selected to spend an academic year in a tailored program with access to Boston-area universities as well as The Boston Globe and The New York Times. The flexible structure of the program will provide the fellow with opportunities to pursue academic research and hone her reporting skills covering topics related to human rights. The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship is open to women journalists whose focus is human rights and social justice.

Applicants must be dedicated to a career in journalism in print, broadcast or online media and show a strong commitment to sharing knowledge and skills with colleagues upon the completion of the fellowship. Excellent written and spoken English skills are required. A stipend will be provided, and expenses, including airfare and housing, will be covered. Click here to learn more. http://bit.ly/gtyZHj

Call on the Hungarian authorities to protect Roma communities from harassment and violent attacks and to thoroughly investigate racially motivated incidents and ensure perpetrators are prosecuted.

http://action.amnesty.org.uk/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=1194&ea.campaign.id=9976

On 6 March the far right Jobbik party held a march of up to 3000 people in Gyöngyöspata village. The party was reportedly invited to the village ‘for the protection of Hungarians’ after an alleged incident between a resident and members of the local Roma community.

After the march, around 200 vigilantes from the New Hungarian Guard, Civil Guard Association for a Better Future and Vagabonds for the Protection of Hungarians were reported to have remained in the village and were harassing and verbally abusing local Roma residents. The vigilantes have reportedly been marching in military outfits, carrying whips and axes and issuing verbal death threats to resident Roma families. Due to fear of racist attacks by the vigilantes, many Roma families subsequently stopped sending their children to school. The vigilantes have announced that their next target will be Roma communities in the town of Hajdúhadháza.

According to local NGO representatives and Amnesty International staff police have reportedly taken little action to prevent the harassment. Although police check-points were eventually established according to reports state that Roma residents were told to ‘behave’ and nothing would happen to them.

The Hungarian authorities have an obligation under international human rights law to ensure the security and physical integrity of their citizens, without discrimination, and to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, punish and provide redress for racially-motivated attacks including harassment by non-state actors. According to the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the authorities are obliged to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitements to, or acts of, discriminatory violence.

FACEBOOK – NO PLACE FOR GYPSY/ROMA/TRAVELLER HATE PAGES

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - which arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are entitled – states that: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

Adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe, the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities sets forth a number of principles according to which States are to develop specific policies to protect the rights of minorities. These include: Promote the conditions necessary for minorities to maintain and develop their culture and identity, (Article 5) and Protect the rights to freedom of assembly, association, expression, thought, conscience, and religion. (Articles 7, 8, and 9)

Sadly, these remain empty words for many in the Gypsy/Roma/Traveller community as discrimination and prejudice (which Sir Trevor Philips, chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, describes as “the last ‘acceptable’ form of racism in the UK”.) is experienced here in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, on a daily basis. A worrying trend is the use of social networking sites such as Facebook to promote hatred towards the Gypsy/Roma/Traveller communities and to encourage others to take ‘vigilante’ style action to cleanse Gypsy/Roma/Travellers from an area.

These pages use offensive terminology such as: ‘pikey’ or ‘gypo scum’; a recently uploaded (now deleted) page contained comments calling for encampments to be petrol bombed. Whilst we accept that one of the key under pinning principles of social networking sites, and indeed the internet itself, it to enable a free flow of information, we do not accept that information that openly incites racial hatred and/or violence falls within these core principles.

Indeed, Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, sub section Safety, would appear to agree with us: You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence, You will not use Facebook to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory. Given the above statement, it is difficult to understand why Facebook is not exercising its responsibility to protect those users who are abused and offended by such pages or why, despite repeated reports by users, there is such a delay in these pages being removed. As a company recently valued at $50 billion,

Facebook could easily absorb the cost of installing software that would enable ‘instant’ deletion of pages which are clearly designed to incite racial hatred or at the very least a system which enables people to disable offensive and criminal content immediately which could then be reviewed by Facebook moderators at a later date. This petition is designed to remind Facebook that they have a duty to uphold every individual’s right to be protected from discrimination and physical harm and to urge Facebook to take all steps necessary to demonstrate that their company is not a ‘third party promoter’ of bigotry and prejudice.

Please sign this petition – say no to hate pages on Facebook http://www.petitions24.com/facebook__no_place_for_gypsyromatraveller_hate_pages

I am writing to you to advocate for the new campaign of La Drom Kotar, which aims to have October 8th officially declared the “International Roma Women’s Day”, in recognition of the work of all Romani Women. The idea behind the campaign was conceived at the above mentioned congress. Please feel free to check out the website of the campaign (http://dromkotar.org/en/) or to go directly to the campaign page to sign the petition (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/8octubre/). La Drom Kotar believes that education is a tool for social change and I stand right along side this idea. Please help and sign the petition. By signing, it allows for 1. International Recognition that allows for organizations to apply for grants to continue their efforts 2. Allows the international community to see that the Roma people are organized and trying to change their future. If we receive 250,000 signatures the Spanish and Catalan Government will listen and declare the 8th of October International Roma Women’s Day. I ask you because I think you would not only be interested in this information and campaign, but perhaps could help us spread and share the news.

PLEASE take a moment to look at the website of La Drom Kotar Mestipen (http://dromkotar.org/en/ )and decide for yourself if you would like to support their efforts. If you feel like signing the petition, please visit (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/8octubre/). Also, I would like to highlight that the petition has been translated to various language: Spanish, Catalan, Romany, Romanian, Turkish and Italian. Thanks again and please know that I am here for ANY questions you might have.

Rosamaria Cisneros-Kotic

By Marie-Francoise

Created 17/12/2010 UA: 256/10

Index: EUR 39/007/2010

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 31 DECEMBER 2010.

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

The authorities in Cluj, a city in north-western Romania, are preparing to carry out the forced eviction of Roma communities living in Coastei and Cantonului streets by the end of December. Amnesty International is concerned that reportedly houses will be demolished, and some families will be moved to new housing units that do not meet the criteria of adequate housing while others may face homelessness.

On 15 December, families in Coastei street received oral notifications indicating that they have to remove their belongings by 17 December, when the municipality will move them to alternative housing. According to the municipality, there are an estimated 345 people living in Coastei street, including an estimated 140 people who do not have residency in Cluj, and who are at risk of being sent back to their place of residence, raising concerns over their right to freedom of movement.

The authorities have not consulted the affected community on the eviction plans in a full and participatory way. The Mayor announced that 40 families will be housed in new housing units constructed on the outskirt of the city in the Pata Rat area and that those who refuse to be moved will not be provided with alternative housing. This area, according to information received by Amnesty International, is in the proximity of a garbage dump and separated from the rest of the city and the residents will face difficulties in accessing work opportunities and public services, including education and health.

An estimated 429 people (around 100 families) residing in houses, improvised shacks and containers in Cantonului street are also likely to be evicted. The number of alternative housing units which is being proposed by the city authorities is limited and is expected to accommodate only 40 families, which raises serious concerns that a number of people may be made homeless if they are evicted.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English or your own language:

- Urging the city authorities to ensure that any evictions of the communities currently living in Coastei and Cantonului streets are carried out only as a last resort and in full compliance with international human rights standards;

- Urging them to ensure that the eviction is put on hold until genuine consultation with the Roma community of Coastei and Cantonului Streets to identify all feasible alternatives to evictions and on resettlement options has been conducted;

- Urging the city authorities to provide adequate alternative housing, compliant with requirements under human rights law and that people are not forcibly moved to their original places of residence and prevented from returning.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 31 DECEMBER 2010 TO: Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Mayor of Cluj-Napoca

Sorin Apostu

Str. Motilor 5

Cluj-Napoca 400001,

Romania

Fax: +40 264 599 329

Email: sorinapostu@primariaclujnapoca.ro  



Copies to:



Prime Minister

Emil Boc

Guvernul Romaniei

Piata Victoriei nr. 1,

Sector 1, Bucuresti

Romania

Fax: +40 21 313 98 46

Email: drp@gov.ro  



President

Traian Basescu

Palatul Cotroceni,

Bulevardul Geniului nr. 1-3

Cod postal 060116

Sector 6 - Bucuresti

Romania

Fax : +40 21 410 38 58

Email: procetatean@presidency.ro  

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

Ambassade de Roumanie

Rue Gabrielle 105

1180 Bruxelles

eMail: secretariat@roumanieamb.be  

Fax 02.346.23.45

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Amnesty International visited Cluj and the Roma communities living in Coastei and Cantonului streets in December 2010. The Roma communities were anxious about the threat of possible eviction. They told Amnesty International that – in the past several months - the city authorities had announced that they were to be evicted. The community in Coastei is situated about a five-minute walk from the city centre. The households receive mail to their address and at least some of them are connected to the electricity supply.

The city authorities confirmed - during a meeting with Amnesty International on 8 December 2010 - that they plan to move the families from Coastei Street to new housing units in Pata Rat area. According to the Deputy Mayor, construction of five units accommodating 20 families should be finished by 15 December. He stated that the future tenants would receive short-term rental contracts which may be extended. The municipality quoted multiple complaints from the staff of the nearby public library and an office of a multinational company in the proximity of the Coastei Street as the reasons for the eviction.

Under international law, evictions may be carried out only as a last resort, once all feasible alternatives have been explored in genuine consultation with the affected communities. The authorities then have a duty to provide them with adequate notice; legal remedies, adequate alternative housing and compensation. They must ensure that persons are not rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights as a consequence of eviction. According to international standards, evictions should not be carried out in particularly bad weather or at night and the authorities have a duty to provide those affected with adequate notice.

As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Romania is also under an obligation to ensure to everyone lawfully residing within its territory the right to move freely and to choose his or her place of residence. Amnesty International is therefore concerned at the allegations that persons who are not originally from Cluj will be sent back to the places of their original residence, as this would violate their right to freedom of movement and to choose their place of residence.

Romania is a party to a range of international and regional human rights treaties which strictly require it to prohibit, refrain from and prevent forced evictions. These treaties include the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Revised European Social Charter. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has emphasised in its General Comment 7 that evictions may be carried out only as a last resort, once all other feasible alternatives to eviction have been explored. Even when an eviction is considered to be justified, it can only be carried out when appropriate procedural protections are in place and if compensation for all losses and adequate alternative housing is provided.

UA: 256/10 Index: EUR 39/007/2010 Isavelives.be: le site d'action de la section Amnesty International Belgique francophone - Rue Berckmans, 9 - 1060 Bruxelles. Tel: 02/538.81.77

Source URL: http://www.isavelives.be/en/node/6297

Kedves Támogatónk, kedves Barátunk!

Amikor petíciót fogalmaztunk Sólyom Lászlónak, nem gondoltuk, hogy több mint kétezer aláíró gyűlik össze néhány nap alatt – ekkor született meg a Méltóságot Mindenkinek Mozgalom és a meltosag.net. Amikor valamivel később a „Nem az én nevemben" akciót elindítottuk, magunk sem számítottunk arra, hogy több mint tizenhétezer aláírás érkezik majd a nemazennevemben.eu oldalra és a képek száma is meghaladja a több ezret! Pedig ezen az oldalon látszólag semmi sem történt, s az aláíráson, képfeltöltésen kívül semmit nem is lehetett kezdeni vele. Mégis rendületlenül klikkeltetek, nézegettétek a képeket, húsz nyelven olvastátok az oldalt és gyönyörködtetek Oláh Jolán mozaikjában. Úgy gondoltuk, ennél sokkal többet érdemeltek – hiszen éppen azokban az időkben látogattatok rendre hozzánk és vállaltátok névvel, képpel a szélsőjobb előtörése miatti rosszallásotokat, amikor az ország többsége visszavonult vagy belesimult az arctalan tömegbe. Ezért hoztuk létre a www.coMMMunity.hu oldalt – ahol már nem csak nézelődhetsz, olvasgathatsz, képet tölthetsz fel és gyönyörködhetsz, hanem számos más dolgot is csinálhatsz: aktívan építheted az emberi méltóság tiszteletben tartását vallók közösségét. Gyere, regisztrálj, posztolj, blogolj, oszd meg velünk és másokkal gondolataidat, képeidet, filmjeidet és persze hozd el barátaidat is. Ez az oldal a Te oldalad! Egy olyan oldal, amilyen eddig még nem létezett. Nálunk bárki újságíróvá lehet, aki regisztrál és hisz abban, hogy a publikálással visszaszoríthatja a gyűlölködést.

Építsünk együtt egy közösséget, és mutassuk meg, hogy a szabad szónak ereje van!

Szeretnénk veled is megosztani örömünket. Gyere el a nyitóbulijára október 17-én 18.00-tól a Gödör klub kávézójába.

Program: a TÁP színház színház-koncertje, beszélgetés, végül tánc Dj Clairvo lemezeire.

coMMMentezz, ne háborúzz!

PS: Tegeződni és magázódni egyszerre nem szeretnénk - a tegező forma tehát a bizalom és nem a bizalmaskodás jele.

Dear Madam/Sir,

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights - giving the same rights and freedoms to 800,000 million Europeans - the Council of Europe (www.coe.int) set up a panel consisting of high-level personalities to answer questions related to human rights issues.

The Directorate of Communication is pleased to invite human rights activists and large public to submit questions to DC_paneldiscussion@coe.int by 13 October 2010.

To promote this important treaty and the discussion panel, we would be most grateful if this information could place on your website.

Thank you very much for your interest and co-operation.

Kind regards

Barbara Orkwiszewska

Public Information & Publishing Directorate of Communication Council of Europe

Tel.: 00 33 (0)3 88 41 38 36

www.coe.int

please include rss feature on the page(s) thanks

I am seeking contact with NGOs and Roma working on issues related to informal settlements in urban and peri-urban areas of Macedonia, BiH, Serbia, Montenegro, and/or Croatia. I am specifically interested in progress of stated objectives within their Decade action plans. You can reach me at mhughes2@uno.edu. I look forward to hearing from you!