ERRC Letter to Macedonian Interior Minister
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 18:55:34 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: ERRC Letter to Macedonian Interior Minister
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <[email protected]>
ERRC Letter to Macedonian Interior Minister
On September 23, 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 Mr Pavle Trajanov, Minister of Internal
Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, expressing alarm at the refusal
by Macedonian authorities to allow entry to Roma fleeing ethnic
persecution in Kosovo. 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 alarmed at
reports that Macedonian authorities are refusing entry to Roma fleeing
Kosovo.
According to a report on Radio Bosnia-Hercegovina on September 22, at
least 1500 Roma had left the Romani refugee camp at Obilic, Kosovo,
near the capital Pristina, travelling on foot in the direction of
Macedonia. UNHCR officials had reportedly refused them transport. The
same broadcast stated that 450 Roma had arrived at the
Kosovo-Macedonian border, where Macedonian officials refused to allow
them entry. The report quoted Macedonian officials as stating that
they believed that the Roma were coming to Macedonia to take advantage
of generous welfare benefits in Macedonia. The Macedonian television
stations A1and Sitel additionally reported on September 22 that for
the past two days, 1800 Roma have been on the Kosovo side of the
Macedonian-Kosovo border crossing at Blace and that Macedonian
authorities refused to let them in. Members of the Kumanovo-based
non-governmental organisation Drom visited the border crossing on
September 22 and confirmed the reports.
Honorable Minister Trajanov, in light of reports that Macedonian
officials intended to cease providing Romani refugees from Kosovo safe
haven in Macedonia, the ERRC appealed to your office to reaffirm its
commitment to abiding by international law in a letter sent on August
31, 1999; we provided your office with significant documentation
indicating that 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. To date, the ERRC has received
no response from your office.
Reports that Macedonian officials are now refusing entry to Roma
fleeing Kosovo are extremely worrying. We urge your office to take all
measures necessary to ensure that persons fleeing ethnic persecution
in Kosovo be given protection until such a time as it is safe to
return to their homes.
Respectfully,
Dimitrina Petrova
Executive Director
Persons wishing to express similar concern are urged to contact the
offices of Minister Trajanov at:
Fax: (389 91) 112 468
Documentation of the persecution of Roma in Kosovo is available at the
European Roma Rights Center internet webpage: http://errc.org
*****************
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
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