FM Alert, Vol II, No. 48 December 4, 1998
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Subject: FM Alert, Vol II, No. 48 December 4, 1998
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Paulette Layton <[email protected]>
FM Alert, Vol II, No. 48 December 4, 1998
FM Alert, Vol II, No. 48
December 4, 1998
ROMA CAUGHT IN MIDDLE OF KOSOVO CONFLICT
Thousands of Roma in the strife-torn region of Kosovo, caught in the
middle of a simmering conflict pitting separatist-minded ethnic
Albanians against the Serbian-dominated government of Yugoslavia, are
facing a forced migration crisis. "The Roma (in Kosovo) are caught in
a trap," said a recent paper prepared by the Paris-based International
Roma Union. Interethnic relations between Roma and Albanians, who
comprise about 90 percent of Kosovo's population, are tense. Several
prominent Roma community leaders have effectively sided with the
Yugoslav government in the conflict, speaking out against a so-called
"Albanian danger," according to the paper. There have been several
instances in which Roma families have been forced to flee their places
of residence due to harassment from Albanian villagers. At the same
time, Roma also suffer from discrimination by Serbian authorities, the
paper says. "The oncoming Roma emigration from Kosovo will not be a
new chapter of a historical and traditional tendency towards a nomadic
lifestyle .. but the result of the distress of a population with no
political voice," the paper concludes. (For additional information see
FM Alerts of October 2 and August 28).
FMP URGES OSCE TO INITIATE NGO CAPACITY BUILDING IN KOSOVO
The Forced Migration Projects (FMP) have called for the implementation
of programs to strengthen the work of local nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) in Kosovo, saying a vibrant third sector would
help reduce the hardships for displaced persons in the war-torn
Yugoslav province. The FMP called on the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe to take the lead in formulating NGO capacity
building activities. The OSCE is in charge of monitoring an October
peace agreement. "Ongoing tensions in Kosovo raise questions about the
sustainability of the peace process," FMP Director Arthur C. Helton
said in a November 25 letter to OSCE Chairman-in-Office Bronislaw
Geremek. "The winter provides OSCE with a unique opportunity to invest
in the capacity of local NGOs. These actors could monitor the
circumstances of any future displacement, and assist those displaced
or affected by the conflict." The FMP called for the creation of an
NGO forum under the auspices of the Kosovo Verification Mission. "The
forum would provide an opportunity for local organizations to initiate
a dialogue with OSCE and the broader international community," Helton
said in the letter. Geremek welcomed the FMP letter, replying that NGO
capacity building would be the "subject of the attention of Ambassador
William G. Walker, head of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission." On
December 11, the FMP will sponsor an expert discussion on forced
migration-related issues in Kosovo. The meeting will take place in
Budapest. (For additional information see FM Alert of October 2).
EXPERT EXAMINES ROMA RIGHTS IN HUNGARY
A leading expert on Roma in Hungary expressed cautious optimism about
an improving civil rights climate in the Central European nation.
Angela Kocze, speaking at a December 3 round table sponsored by the
Open Society Institute, stressed that Roma in Hungary continue to face
discrimination from officials, but pointed to a December 1 court
ruling as evidence that legal protections for Roma are strengthening.
Kocze, a Pew Fellow studying in the Human Rights and Religious Freedom
Program at Columbia University, said the recent Roma victory in a
landmark case against local authorities in Tiszavasvari, Hungary,
underscored the improved legal climate. The case, which was filed by
the Foundation on Roma Civil Rights, involved a segregated school in
Tiszavasvari, and dealt with an incident in 1997 in which the school
held separate graduation ceremonies for Roma and non-Roma graduates.
Hungarian courts ruled that the defendants - the local mayor and
school authorities - had violated the childrens' civil rights. Damages
involved payment of only a symbolic fine. In addition, the defendants
plan to appeal. But Kocze said the ruling could serve as an important
precedent for the expansion of Roma rights in Hungary. Aladar Horvath,
head of the Foundation for Roma Civil Rights stated; "The decision is
a precedent. It is the first court decision concerning discrimination
of Roma children in schools." (For additional information see FM Alert
of July 10).
For more information contact:
The Forced Migration Projects
400 West 59th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10019
tel: (212)548-0655
fax: (212) 548-4676
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.soros.org/migrate.html
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