MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Minority Briefs No. 56

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Original sender: Nediafax <edivers_buletin-admin@mediafax.ro>


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No. 56 / May 26, 2003

DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -

SUMMARY

1. ETHNIC MINORITIES TO FREELY USE THEIR MOTHER TONGUE IN JUSTICE
2. "ROMANIA IS NOT AN INSECURE COUNTRY FOR ETHNIC ROMA", OFFICIALS SAY
3. SEATS FOR THE ROMA PUPILS IN BUCHAREST HIGH SCHOOLS
4. PENAL COMPLAINT AGAINST PARTICIPANTS TO ODORHEI FORUM
5. FDGR TO REJECT ANY ALLIANCE PROPOSAL FOR THE ELECTIONS IN 2004

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ETHNIC MINORITIES TO FREELY USE THEIR MOTHER TONGUE IN JUSTICE
BUCHAREST - The Chamber of  Deputies on 22 May restored to the draft
amendments  of  the  Penal  Code  a  provision  allowing  members of
national minorities  to  speak in  their mother  tongues in judicial
proceedings, Radio Free Europe reported reported.
The chamber's  Judicial Committee recently  removed this stipulation
from  the  proposed  amendments,  but they  were  reintroduced after
consultations   between the  ruling  Party  of  Social  Democracy in
Romania (PSD)  and the  Hungarian  Democratic Federation  of Romania
(UDMR), on whose  support in parliament  the minority PSD government
depends. UDMR parliamentary deputy Arpad Marton said the draft Penal
Code is  now  in line  with  European norms  in  regard  to national
minorities. The PSD-UDMR compromise that was approved by the chamber
stipulates that official  documents on the judicial proceedings will be
issued in Romanian alone.


"ROMANIA IS NOT AN INSECURE COUNTRY FOR ETHNIC ROMA", OFFICIALS SAY
BUCHAREST  �  Chairman of  Fighting Discrimination  National Council
(CNCD), Cristian Jura, last week demanded the representatives of two
French organizations  which expressed  that "Romania  is an insecure
country for  the ethnic  Roma " to  bring further  details in making
such a statement. In Jura�s letter sent to Michel Tubiana (president of
Human Rights French League)  and to Claude Moncorge (president of
Medecins  de Monde),  it  is  indicated  that  Bucharest authorities
lately have  promoted a series  of measures to  back ethnic Roma and
that immediate penalties have been applied, in case this ethnicity�s
rights  have  been broken.  This year  CNCD has  received   only 11
complaints relating  to "serious discrimination", such  as banning the
access  in public areas  or breaking the  ethnic Roma citizens� ight to 
private  dignity. "CNCD  deems  that it  cannot be  about a particular 
phenomenon when it comes  about Roma discrimination, the basis of  his
conviction  lying not only in  the number of petitions received,  but
also  in  direct  observations  made ",  as  says the letter.  Moreover,
CNCD  informs  the  two  French  presidents about monitoring activities 
upon  classified add,  approached  since last year,  where  so far  it 
has  been  registered  no  exclusion  from employing Roma  ethnics.
CNCD  also reminds  about the  recent "Job ourse for  ethnic Roma",
where  the ethnicity  representatives were offered more  than 7000 jobs 
in Bucharest.  Eventually, Jura informs the  letter�s addressers  that
the  institution he  runs so  far has applied eight sanctions  to
various entities, either private or even public, for Roma discrimination
charges. (DIVERS)


SEATS FOR THE ROMA PUPILS IN BUCHAREST HIGH SCHOOLS
BUCHAREST � Roma-ethnicity candidates are offered for this summer�s
admittance to high school a number of 600 special seats, as indicate the
data published by the Ministry of Education. The young ethnic Roma who
pass the secondary school graduation exam can be admitted on special
seats into good high schools from Bucharest, even if the grade average
is below the grade obtained by the last candidate admitted on the list,
stated Daniela Nedelcu, general inspectorate of Bucharest. As regards
these seats, 30 in number are meant for full-time high school education
(into the two special entities from Bucharest) and 204 seats are meant
for vocational schools. The number of seats was settled depending on the
number of Roma-ethnicity students, according to admittance exam
Methodology. (DIVERS)


PENAL COMPLAINT AGAINST PARTICIPANTS TO ODORHEI FORUM
CLUJ-NAPOCA � Mayor of Cluj, Gheorghe Funar, stated on Monday May 19
that he  submitted at Prosecutor�s  Office near Cluj  Appeal Court a
penal complaint against  persons who attended the  recent Forum from
Odorheiul Secuiesc.  Funar blames the  participants to the  forum of
having  performed  actions  against  constitutional  order,  stating
�during  a year and  a half they  aim at  getting ready the election
session of National  Ethnic Hungarian Council, which is conceived by
the   founders   to  self-govern     the   Hungarian   society  from
Transylvania�. The  penal complaint submitted  by the  mayor of Cluj
will make  reference to  Romania�s Constitution  and to  a series of
normative documents, which seems to have  been broken, as well as to
many articles released by the press. Over 1,200 ethnic Hungarians on
April 26 attended the Forum from Odorheiu Secuiesc, the place where the
Initiative Committee of the National Council of Ethnic Hungarians in
Ardeal  was established, planning  to get  territory and cultural
autonomy of the Magyars from Romania. (DIVERS)


FDGR TO REJECT ANY ALLIANCE PROPOSAL FOR THE ELECTIONS IN 2004
SIBIU - President of the Democrat Forum of the Ethnic Germans in Romania
(FDGR), Klaus Johannis, who is also mayor of Sibiu (main city in central
Romania), stated into a press conference that the political party he
runs will reject any alliance proposal for the general and local
elections in 2004. "I am delighted of any support expressed for FDGR,
yet it must be known that the Forum has its own way of development,
including own lists when attending the local and general elections",
said Johannis. He pointed out that he does not plan to change his
political affiliation or to become a member of any party, yet in case he
decides on applying for a mandate at Sibiu City Hall he will get
enrolled in FDGR lists. (DIVERS)


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