MINELRES: ERRC/UN OHCHR Joint Memorandum on Roma in Serbia and Montenegro

[European Roma Rights Center]

April 24, 2003

Announcement of Publication:

The Protection of Roma Rights in Serbia and Montenegro

A memorandum prepared by the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) in
association with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Human Rights Field Operation in Serbia and Montenegro (UN OHCHR)

The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) and the United Nations Office of
the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Field Operation in
Serbia and Montenegro (UN OHCHR) today publish jointly "The Protection
of Roma Rights in Serbia and Montenegro", a memorandum prepared in
support of the Serbian and Montenegrin government's Strategy for
Integration and Empowerment of Roma, and the Poverty Reduction Strategy
in Serbia and Montenegro.

The new state union of Serbia and Montenegro has undertaken a number of
important preliminary steps to address the deeply unsatisfactory human
rights situation of Roma in the country. Serbia and Montenegro is now
member of the Council of Europe, party to the Framework Convention for
the Protection of National Minorities and the European Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights. Roma are also officially recognised as
a national minority under the federal Law on the Protection of Rights
and Freedoms of National Minorities. In addition, in March 2003, a
Charter on Human and Minority Rights and Civil Freedoms was adopted.
However, despite these positive developments, the authorities in Serbia
and Montenegro face considerable challenges to implement measures that
will address the very serious human rights situation of Roma in Serbia
and Montenegro.

The joint ERRC/UN OHCHR memorandum offers a detailed series of
recommendations to the government of Serbia and Montenegro aimed at the
improvement of the human rights situation of Roma in the country,
including recommendations in the context of large-scale expulsions of
Roma from Western Europe.

The memorandum details a number of areas of concern, including:

- Current deficiencies in domestic anti-discrimination law
- Physical abuse of Roma by police officers and other members of the
public authority
- Violence against Roma by racist "skinheads" and other non-state actors
- Discrimination and racial segregation in the school system
- Forced eviction, threats of forced eviction, and other violations of
the right to adequate housing, including extremely substandard housing
and failure to provide services
- Discrimination against Roma in access to health care services
- Discrimination in access to employment
- Discrimination in the allocation of state social assistance
- Discrimination in access to public places
- Threats to the exercise of fundamental rights caused by a lack of
personal documents/statelessness among Roma in Serbia and Montenegro
- Issues particular to the large-scale forced return of Roma from
Germany and other Western European countries.

The full text of the ERRC/UN OHCHR memorandum is available on the
Internet at:
http://errc.org/publications/indices/serbia_and_montenegro.shtml

Paper copies of the memorandum are available by contacting the UN Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) Human Rights Field
Operation in Serbia and Montenegro or the European Roma Rights Center.

A Serbian-language version of the memorandum is forthcoming.

_______________________________

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has
prime responsibility within the UN system for the overall monitoring,
promotion and protection of all human rights.

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR)
Human Rights Field Operation in Serbia and Montenegro
Omladinskih brigada 86
11 070 - Belgrade
Serbia and Montenegro

Tel: (381 11) 3185 828
Fax: (381 11) 3185 872
______________________________

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://www.errc.org.

European Roma Rights Center
1386 Budapest 62
P.O. Box 906/93
Hungary

Phone: +36 1 4132200
Fax: +36 1 4132201
E-mail: office@errc.org