ERRC CERD Press Statement
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1998 19:50:17 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: ERRC CERD Press Statement
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Claude Cahn <[email protected]>
ERRC CERD Press Statement
March 31, 1998
European Roma Rights Center Press Statement on the Concluding
Observations Concerning the Czech Republic of the United Nations
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) welcomes the serious concerns
regarding the Czech government's policies and practices on racial
discrimination expressed earlier this month at the 52nd Session of the
United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD). Upon release of the CERD's Concluding Observations concerning
the Czech Republic, Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director of the ERRC,
stated, "The Committee's conclusions underline the extent to which the
Czech government's failure to combat racism effectively has aroused
the concern of the international community. The numerous shortcomings
identified require urgent government action to bring the Czech
Republic into compliance with international law concerning its
treatment of racial and ethnic minorities."
The CERD is a United Nations body charged with responsibility for
overseeing compliance with the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Convention -
the oldest United Nations human rights convention - was ratified in
1969 by the former Czechoslovak government; in 1993, the government of
the newly-formed Czech Republic acceded to the Convention. Composed
of 18 internationally-recognized experts on racial discrimination, the
CERD reviews state implementation of the Convention through a
procedure which obliges governments to submit written reports on a
periodic basis. The March 1998 session marked the first time since
1993 that the Committee has reviewed reports submitted by the Czech
Republic.
In its Concluding Observations concerning the Czech Republic, the CERD
expressed "alarm" at a "recorded sixfold increase in racially
motivated crime between 1994 and 1996;" lamented "the persistence of
racial hatred and acts of violence ... towards persons belonging to
minority groups;" and chastised the government for not "effectively
countering racial violence against members of minority groups." In
particular, the Committee highlighted failures of the Czech criminal
justice system and of law enforcement authorities in combating
racially-motivated violence. The Committee expressed its concern "that
the number of charges and convictions ".. is low relative to the
number of abuses reported," that "perpetrators of racial crime are
often lightly punished," and that "in a number of cases, prosecutors
have been reluctant to identify a racial motive."
"[U]nnecessarily long proceedings," "slow investigations of acts of
racial crime," and arguably "insufficient training provided to law
enforcement officials" all contribute to the problem.
The CERD further criticised what it termed "de facto racial
segregation" of Roma children in "special schools" for the
educationally deficient and the denial of access for persons belonging
to ethnic minorities, particularly Roma, to public places such as
restaurants, pubs and discotheques. To date, the Committee noted,
notwithstanding "discrimination against Roma in ... housing, transport
and employment," the Czech Republic has no legal provisions "expressly
outlawing discrimination" in these areas. Nor is there any
administrative regulation "explicitly prohibiting racial
discrimination by public institutions and agencies."
In view of these serious deficiencies, the Committee recommended that
the Czech government take a series of steps to stem the tide of racism
and racist violence. Among the CERD's "suggestions and
recommendations" were the following:
* introduce legal measures to combat racial discrimination in
employment, housing, education and access to public accommodations;
* provide information indicating what affirmative action measures have
been adopted for the Roma community;
* resolve the remaining problems relating to the acquisition of Czech
citizenship for all residents, including prisoners, and children and
adolescents in institutions, in particular members of the Roma
minority;
* provide increased education and training on racial tolerance and
human rights issues to judges, lawyers and civil servants;
* prevent and counter effectively attitudes and acts of racial
violence against persons belong to minority groups, especially Roma;
* ensure an effective and timely handling of court cases of racially
motivated crime and punishment of the perpetrators; and
* take further action to publicize more widely the provisions of the
Convention and the CERD's Concluding Observations.
In March 1998, the ERRC submitted written comments concerning the
Czech Republic to the CERD. This document, together with the full
text of the CERD's Concluding Observations, is available from ERRC
upon request.
* * *
The European Roma Rights Center is an international public interest
law organisation which monitors the situation of Roma in Europe and
provides legal defence in cases of human rights abuse. Romani
organisations and Romani individuals throughout Europe contribute
time, money and expertise to the ERRC. ERRC reports and other
information concerning the organization's activities are available on
Internet at www.errc.com.
European Roma Rights Center
P.O.Box 10/24
1525 Budapest
Hungary
Phone: + (36 1) 327-98-77
Fax: + (36-1) 138-37-27
Board of Directors :
Andras Biro, Chair (Hungary)
Isabel Fonseca (UK)
Nicolae Gheorghe (Romania)
Deborah Harding (USA)
Rudko Kawczynski (Germany)
Khristo Kyuchukov (Bulgaria)
Lord Lester of Herne Hill Q. C. (UK)
Edgar Morin (France)
Ina Zoon (Spain)
--
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected]
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected]
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================