Romania: Update of Response to Information Request ROM24192.E of 10 June 1996 on the treatment of the Roma in Romania and on the protection available to them
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ROM28871.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Romania: Update of Response to Information Request ROM24192.E of 10 June 1996 on the treatment of the Roma in Romania and on the protection available to them, 1 February 1998, ROM28871.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab4c3b.html [accessed 22 May 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. |
A 15 February 1998 Agence France Presse (AFP) report, quoting an in-depth survey made by Médecins sans frontières (MSF), UNICEF and a European Union delegation, states there has been a notable "increase in tension between the Romanies and the rest of the population" since 1990 and that the national media "consistently uses stereoptypes, presenting them [Roma] as the main reason for Romania's negative image abroad."
The report quotes also an MSF team leader who said that the standard of life of Romanian Gypsies has decreased significantly since 1990; that they had a better life under the communist regime, and that "if a Gypsy is implicated in an incident or a crime, the Romanian press mentions the ethnic origin every time."
According to a statement made by the Budapest-based European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) on the occasion of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Implementation Meeting on Human Dimension Issues in Warsaw in November 1997,
Field missions conducted by the ERRC in Romania indicate a widespread pattern of police raids on Roma communities, in which whole communities are turned out of their houses at dawn and subjected to checks of local residence permits, physical abuse in public and in custody, and unsanctioned forced labour. The ERRC also documented episodes of the excessive use of force by police officers, including one shooting death.
According to Country Reports 1997:
The Romani population, estimated at approximately 2 million persons, continues to be subject to societal discrimination, harassment, beatings, and violence. In January [1997] following a dispute in a bar in the village of Tanganu, villagers ransacked the houses of several Romani families. In January 3 men suspected of leading a mob that murdered 3 Roma men and destroyed 17 Romani homes in September 1993 were arrested. This case and others involving Romani deaths and destruction of Romani property were still under investigation by prosecutors or review by the courts at the end of August (1998).
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
Agence France Presse (AFP). 15 February 1998. "Romania Gypsies." (NEXIS)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997. 1998. United States Department of State. Washington DC: United States Government Printing Office. [Internet], < http://www.state.gov>.[Accessed : 24 Feb. 1998]
European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), Budapest. November 1997. ERRC Statement to the OSCE Implementation Meeting on Human Dimension Issues. [Internet], < http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/errc-osce.htm >.[Accessed : 25 Feb. 1998]
