ERRC letter to the Macedonian General Prosecutor
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 12:08:00 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: ERRC letter to the Macedonian General Prosecutor
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <[email protected]>
ERRC letter to the Macedonian General Prosecutor
On July 13, 2000, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an
international public interest law organisation monitoring the rights
of Roma in Europe and providing legal defence in cases of human rights
abuse, sent a letter of concern to the Macedonian General Prosecutor
Mr Stavre Dzikov, expressing concern at an instance of police abuse of
Roma in Stip, central Macedonia. The text of the letter follows:
Honourable General Prosecutor Dzikov,
The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an international public
interest law organisation monitoring the rights of Roma in Europe and
providing legal defence in cases of human rights abuse, is concerned
about an instance of police brutality against several Roma in the
village of Sasavarlije, near Stip, central Macedonia.
According to ERRC information, on May 26, 2000, in the early morning,
Mr Selajdin Mustafov, Mr Sehri Mustafov, Mr Orhan Aliov, Mr Ferat
Skenderovski, Mr Mamet Redzepov and a minor called Dzemo Aliov went to
gather firewood in the village of Sasavarlija, close to Stip, without
the permission of the owners of the forest. Around 3:00 AM, while
returning home with their horse-drawn carts, they were stopped by a
group of five policemen and three ethnic Macedonian villagers from
Sasavarlija. One of the villagers hit Mr Sehri Mustafov in the mouth
with an iron rod. He fell down, and then managed to escape. One of the
policemen hit Mr Selajdin Mustafov several times, handcuffed him, and
pushed him into the police car. The non-Romani group then surrounded
the other Roma and beat them severely until, around 6:00 AM, the
police handcuffed and took Mr Orhan Aliov, Mr Selajdin Mustafov, Mr
Redzepov and Mr Skenderovski to the police station in Stip. In the
process, officers impounded their carts.
In the police station one of the police officers, occasionally joined
by several other colleagues, allegedly continued to beat Mr Aliov, Mr
Mustafov, and Mr Redzepov. Officers released them at around 10:00 AM.
Mr Senaj Osmanov, president of the Association for Human Rights
Protection of Roma, visited the victims of the police beating on the
same day, and, upon establishing that all of them were in severe pain
and were unable to move, transported them to the local hospital where
they received urgent medical treatment. Mr Selajdin Mustafov was
diagnosed with two fractured ribs, and remained in the hospital for
further treatment. Mr Orhan Aliov and Mr Redzepov were diagnosed with
contusions on their heads and bodies.
On behalf of Mr Selajdin Mustafov, Mr Orhan Aliov and Mr Redzepov, the
Association for Human Rights Protection of Roma filed criminal charges
against Mr D.A., one of the police officers involved, on June 2. As of
July 12, the police were still in possession of the carts owned by the
Roma. As of the same date, ERRC is not aware of charges pressed
against any of the Roma involved in this case.
The above described incident is only the most recent one in the row of
incidents of police brutality against Roma in Stip. The ERRC sent two
letters of concern to the relevant Macedonian authorities, in April
1998 and March 1999, on the subject of such frequent instances of
police brutality against Roma in Stip and the inadequate response on
the part of authorities to complaints of police abuse of Roma. The
ERRC has to date received no response to either of the letters. In the
country report A Pleasant Fiction: The Human Rights Situation of Roma
in Macedonia of July 1998, the ERRC registered numerous instances of
police abuse of Roma in Macedonia, and made recommendations to the
Macedonian government in the field of police abuse. The text of the
report, in English and Macedonian, can be found on the ERRC internet
site at
http://errc.org/publications/reports/index.shtml.
Honourable General Prosecutor Dzikov, the ERRC urges you thoroughly to
investigate allegations of police brutality against Roma in Stip, and
take immediate measures to ensure that officers who abuse their
authority are disciplined. We also respectfully request to be informed
on any actions taken by your office.
Yours sincerely,
Dimitrina Petrova
Executive Director
Persons wishing to express similar concerns are urged to contact the
Macedonian General Prosecutor's Office at the fax number:
+389 91 231 267
*****************
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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