ERRC Letter to Interior Minister of Macedonia
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 11:54:59 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: ERRC Letter to Interior Minister of Macedonia
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <[email protected]>
ERRC Letter to Interior Minister of Macedonia
On August 31, 1999, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an
international public interest law organisation which monitors the
rights of Roma and provides legal defence in cases of human rights
abuse, sent a letter to Macedonian Minister of Internal Affairs Mr
Pavle Trajanov to urge his office to reaffirm the commitment of the
Republic of Macedonia to abide by international law and to providing
Romani refugees from Kosovo safe haven. The text of the letter
follows:
Honourable Minister Trajanov,
The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an international public
interest law organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and
provides legal defence in cases of human rights abuse, is disturbed at
recent statements appearing in the Macedonian press which suggest that
Macedonia is considering returning Romani refugees from Kosovo to
"areas under Serb control".
According to an article published by the news service MILS NEWS on
August 30, 1999, reprinting an article from the Macedonian daily
Dnevnik on August 27, you reportedly stated, "I believe that the ideal
solution for the approximately 35,000 refugees still in Macedonia is
to be returned to Kosovo. However, since this is not possible for the
Serbs and the Roma, we are planning on contacting the Yugoslav
Ministry of Foreign Affairs [to] try to persuade the authorities to
accept Kosovo refugees on the territory controlled by Serbs."
According to MILS NEWS, you additionally stated that should such
negotiations fail, you thought the Macedonian government should give
serious consideration to deporting the refugees "back to where they
came from." You reportedly stated that this alternative would "not be
good for the reputation of Macedonia", but that refugees from Kosovo
would not be able to stay in Macedonia "forever". You stated that the
government would discuss this issue at its next session. Present
permits allow refugees from Kosovo to stay in Macedonia until
September 28, 1999.
Honourable Minister Trajanov, the ERRC calls your attention to the
fact that the issue of the forced return of Romani refugees to
Yugoslavia is not an issue pertaining only to the "reputation of
Macedonia", but is primarily an issue of international law. Roma from
Kosovo can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution and are
therefore refugees under the 1951 Convention Pertaining to the Status
of Refugees. Additionally, the ERRC has documented instances in which
Yugoslav authorities have returned Roma fleeing Kosovo back to Kosovo.
The return of Romani refugees to any part of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia would therefore create the danger of refoulement, a very
grave crime under international law. Threats on the part of your
office that such returns might take place are additionally extremely
insensitive in light of the grave human rights violations which many
of the refugees have recently undergone in Kosovo. The ERRC therefore
urges your office to reaffirm the commitment of the Republic of
Macedonia to abide by international law and to providing Romani
refugees from Kosovo safe haven.
Respectfully,
Dimitrina Petrova
Executive Director
Documentation pertaining to the situation of Roma in Kosovo is
available on the ERRC internet homepage at http://errc.org. Persons
wishing to express similar concern are urged to contact Minister of
Internal Affairs Mr Pavle Trajanov at the following fax number: (389
91) 112 468
*****************
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
H-1525 Budapest 114
PO Box 10/24
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
tranfers 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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