Macedonia: Update to Response to Information Request MCD28251.E of 4 December 1997 on the situation of ethnic Serbs, the discrimination against them, whether they are able to obtain state protection, the legal status of the Serbian Democratic Party and whether it has representation in parliament or elsewhere, and the treatment of Serbs by members of the VMRO-DPMNE (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MCD28779.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Macedonia: Update to Response to Information Request MCD28251.E of 4 December 1997 on the situation of ethnic Serbs, the discrimination against them, whether they are able to obtain state protection, the legal status of the Serbian Democratic Party and whether it has representation in parliament or elsewhere, and the treatment of Serbs by members of the VMRO-DPMNE (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity), 1 February 1998, MCD28779.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aab778.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In a 4 December 1997 telephone interview and in a 26 January 1998 letter sent to the Research Directorate, the chair of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia in Skopje provided the following information:
The Serbian Democratic Party represents the Macedonian Serbs and has been legal since the attainment of Macedonian independence. The party does not have representation in the national Parliament. The Serb minority in Macedonia is fairly well treated by the authorities and society in Macedonia. However, the Serbs complain that they are not mentioned in the Constitution and that Serbian Orthodox priests are forbidden by the Macedonian authorities to enter Macedonia from Serbia if wearing flocks [sic].
The chair has not heard of any reports in the last several years indicating that some members of this party [the VMRO] have committed acts of violence against Serbs or have threatened Serbs.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia, Skopje. 26 January 1998. Letter sent to the Research Directorate by the chair.
_____. 4 December 1997. Telephone interview with the chair.
