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10/25/00 Text: U.S. Statement on Roma to OSCE "Human Dimension" Review (Ian Hancock in Warsaw Oct. 24) The fact that Roma continue to leave their native countries in significant numbers is perhaps "the single most obvious indicator of the deplorable conditions Roma face" in countries belonging to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said Ian Hancock, a member of the U.S. Delegation to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Review Meeting in Warsaw October 24. "Prejudice and discrimination against Roma is a problem in every OSCE country, including my own," the U.S. delegate said, ranging from intolerance to expulsion to murder. He said it is clear that much needs to be done to improve respect for Roma, starting with political leaders, many of whom "remain in a state of deep denial as to the nature of the problems that Roma face and the steps that must be taken to address them." Hancock commended several member countries for dealing with anti-Roma violence and for pledging to enact broad anti-discrimination legislation, but he noted with regret that some of these promises have yet to be kept. "Certainly, the OSCE can play a constructive role in addressing anti-Roma discrimination and eradicating it," he said, adding that the United States hopes the organization will intensify its work on these issues next year. Following is the text of his statement: U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) STATEMENT ON ROMA AND SINTI Over the course of the past year, local officials in Mechka, Bulgaria, have led town efforts to expel their entire Romani communities. Attempts to do the same in Nea Kios, Greece, were stopped by the Ombudsman. An official in the Hungarian Prime Minister's office called for distributing free birth control to Roma as a means of controlling our "excessive multiplication," and the Deputy Mayor in Rudnany, Slovakia, said that a "Chinese fertility program" is needed to limit the number of Roma in his country. In August, men with clubs broke into the home of 50-year-old Anastazia Balazova in Slovakia, and beat her to death in front of two of her children, who were also beaten. In September, 13 men armed with sticks, bats and chains attacked Romani worshipers in front of their Pentecostal church in Serbia. Perhaps the single most obvious indicator of the deplorable conditions Roma face is the fact that Roma from several OSCE countries continue to leave their native countries in significant numbers. Clearly, there is much to be done to improve the respect for human rights for the Roma in the OSCE region. First and foremost, this must start with political leadership. The heartfelt statement of Slovak Ambassador Martin Butura following the murder of Ms. Balazova, echoed in the declarations of other Slovak officials, showed genuine sensitivity and compassion for the victims of that terrible attack. I was even more encouraged that these statements were followed by the arrest of two men who have been charged in this case, notably with violence that was officially deemed racially motivated; the United States will follow their trial with interest. But the fact remains that many government officials in this region remain in a state of deep denial as to the nature of the problems that Roma face and the steps that must be taken to address them. In his seminal report for the OSCE last year, the High Commissioner on National Minorities included two related observations that I would like to repeat here. First: "discrimination and exclusion are fundamental features of the Roma experience." Second, "[e]ven against a backcloth of a decade blighted by extreme forms of racist intolerance, the phenomenon of prejudice against Roma is singular." Not surprisingly, in the insightful set of recommendations the High Commissioner presented, the very first was that OSCE countries should enact comprehensive anti-discrimination laws to address racial and ethnic discrimination in all fields of public life, including access to public accommodations, citizenship, education, employment, health, housing, and public and social services. At the Istanbul Summit, our Heads of State and Government also committed themselves to adopt such legislation. More recently, the adoption by the European Union's Council of Ministers of a directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin in June of this year is a very welcome development. At last year's Review Conference in Vienna, the United States praised the Bulgarian Government for adopting, on March 24, a National Program for the Roma People and, in particular, for the commitment it made in that platform to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Unfortunately, in the year and a half that has transpired, the Bulgarian Government has failed to take any significant steps to act on the promises it made in that platform. In August, the Romanian Government adopted a decree on "the elimination of all kinds of discrimination." This measure is a much welcome sign of Romania's commitment to combat discrimination against Roma and others, including women. I commend the Romanian Government, and particularly the Ministry for National Minorities, for its initiative. The United States looks forward to the parliament taking further steps to pass this measure into law in order to provide it with a stronger and clearer legal foundation. In addition, the United States hopes the parliament will ensure that bodies tasked with enforcing the law will have sufficient independence, authority, and funding; will operate with transparency to ensure accountability to the public; and, of course, will include Roma among its members. The Government of Slovakia has approved an action plan to prevent all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance, which calls on government ministries to implement measures to increase tolerance. Additionally, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Pal Csaky has appointed a commission to examining existing Slovak anti-discrimination legislation and draft a comprehensive anti-discrimination law if deemed necessary. The United States welcomes these efforts and hopes they will lead to concrete changes that allow all citizens of Slovakia to enjoy truly equal rights. Prejudice and discrimination against Roma is a problem in every OSCE country, including my own. A police training center in Illinois, for example, is currently offering a course on "Gypsy crime," illustrating that Romani Americans continue to be the victims of stereotyping and unfair treatment. It was of particular interest to me to see that, in the recent American presidential debates, both leading candidates acknowledged the existence of racial profiling and called for its eradication. The challenge, of course, is how do we get there from here. The last time I spoke here in Warsaw as a member of the U.S. Delegation, I referred to ongoing attacks on Roma by skinheads in Slovakia and elsewhere, and to the formation of "hate groups" targeting Roma, modeled on the Ku Klux Klan. That was six years ago, in 1994. We can hardly say that things have improved since then. A few weeks ago, I was forwarded the address of a website for a group entitled "H.A.G.," which stands for "Humans Against Gypsies." It originates in England. There is a relentless continuum of aggression and discrimination against Roma that can be traced back through the entire Romani experience in Europe, and it is to this legacy we must look if we are properly to understand its causes, for only by understanding those causes can we begin to address its remedies. This continuum is illustrated by the ongoing forcible relocation of Greek Roma and their homes in advance of the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens; the Spanish government did exactly the same thing in preparation for the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, expelling Roma to keep them out of sight. Adolf Hitler did the same thing for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. We seem not to learn from the inhumanity of our actions. Certainly, the OSCE can play a constructive role in addressing anti-Roma discrimination and eradicating it. The United States hopes that the Permanent Council and ODIHR will intensify their work on these issues next year. (end text)
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