ERRC Letter to the Military Prosecutor of Tirgu-Mures, Romania
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Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 17:35:09 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: ERRC Letter to the Military Prosecutor of Tirgu-Mures, Romania
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <[email protected]>
ERRC Letter to the Military Prosecutor of Tirgu-Mures,
Romania
On March 16, 2000, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an
international public interest law organisation monitoring the human
rights situation of Roma throughout Europe and providing legal defence
in cases of abuse, sent a letter to Mr Viorel Ciobota, head of the
Military Prosecutor's Office of Tirgu-Mures, Romania, to express
concern at instances of police brutality occurring on March 2 in the
Valea Rece neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tirgu-Mures. Officers
reportedly physically abused one Romani man and five Romani women in
public, in addition to using tear-gas. Officers also reportedly used
racist language while detaining Romani individuals. The ERRC urged
Officer Ciobota to ensure that a prompt and thorough investigation
into the allegations of police brutality against the Roma in Valea
Rece be carried out, and that those responsible be brought to justice.
The ERRC also requested to be informed of the results of inquiries.
The text of the ERRC letter follows:
Dear Mr. Ciobota,
The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an international public
interest law organisation monitoring the human rights situation of
Roma throughout Europe and providing legal defence in cases of abuse,
writes to express concern about a recent incident of alleged police
violence against several Roma, including women and minors, in the
neighbourhood of Valea Rece on the outskirts of Tirgu-Mures in
north-western Romania.
According to information received by ERRC, at approximately 3 p.m. on
March 2, 2000, two police officers and two gendarmes were patrolling
the neighbourhood when attacked by S.B., a Romani man who was
reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time. The four law
enforcement officers allegedly punched Mr. B., caused him to fall to
the ground, and then kicked him repeatedly. Romani residents
witnessing the beating intervened, asking the four not to beat Mr. B.
to death but instead to arrest him and bring him to the police
station. Shortly thereafter, a group of approximately 25 police
officers and gendarmes arrived at the scene. The officers chased the
Romani inhabitants, forced them into cars and said they had to go to
the police station and testify. E.V., a woman, was reportedly hit with
a stick. Another three women, I.B., M.G. and E.L., also report being
beaten by the police. One police officer allegedly pulled a woman
named R.P. by the hair. During the operation, police allegedly used
teargas to disperse a group of children who had gathered in the
street. According to eye-witnesses, the police used racial epithets,
such as, "take it, Gypsy!" when chasing the Roma and hitting them with
their sticks.
Ultimately the police brought two men, C.V. and A.C., to the
Tirgu-Mures police station. They were ordered to testify about S.B.'s
behaviour and were released without charges at approximately 7 p.m.
Mr. B., meanwhile, was arrested and is currently under pre-trial
detention.
According to ERRC's information, on March 7, 2000, several Romani
victims and witnesses filed a complaint against the police, alleging
ill-treatment as defined according to Articles 180 and 246 and 247 of
the Romanian Penal Code.
The above described incident is only the latest in a long row of
reported cases of police violence targeting Roma in Romania brought to
the attention of ERRC. Last July, on the occasion of the United
Nations Human Rights Committee's review of Romania's compliance with
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ERRC
submitted a list of 19 cases of police abuse of Roma that had been
reported in Romania in the period 1996-1998 (the full text of which is
available on the internet at http://errc.org). None of these cases
resulted in prosecution, let alone conviction, of the police officers
involved, giving rise to concern that police in Romania feel free to
abuse their authority in impunity. During its examination of Romania,
the Human Rights Committee voiced concern about, inter alia, "police
brutality against members of the Roma minority," and "called upon the
Government of Romania to do more to end discrimination against Roma"
(UN Press Releases HR/CT/99/17 of 20 July, 1999 and HR/CT/99/19 of 21
July, 1999).
Mr. Ciobota, ERRC urges you to ensure that a prompt and thorough
investigation into the allegations of police brutality against the
Roma in Valea Rece be carried out and that those responsible be
brought to justice. We also respectfully request to be informed of the
results of your findings.
Yours sincerely,
Dimitrina Petrova
Executive Director
Persons wishing to express similar concerns are urged to contact the
Tirgu-Mures Military Prosecutor's Office at the fax number: (40-65)
164 512
*****************
The European Roma Rights Center is an international public interest
law organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and provides legal
defence in cases of human rights abuse. For more information about the
European Roma Rights Center, visit the ERRC on the web at
http://errc.org.
European Roma Rights Center
1386 Budapest 62
P.O. Box 906/93
Hungary
Telephone: (36 1) 42 82 351
Fax: (36 1) 42 82 356
*****************
SUPPORT THE ERRC!
The European Roma Rights Center is dependent upon the generosity of
individual donors for its continued existence. If you believe the ERRC
performs a service valuable to the public, please join in enabling its
future with a contribution. Gifts of all sizes are welcome; bank
transfers are preferred. Please send your contribution to:
European Roma Rights Center
Budapest Bank Rt.
99P00402686
1054 Budapest
Bathory utca 1
Hungary
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