{"id":1196,"date":"2014-09-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/19-09-2014-serbia-macedonia-and-bosnia-herzegovina-are-declared-safe-countries-of-origin\/"},"modified":"2022-07-26T13:57:21","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T12:57:21","slug":"19-09-2014-serbia-macedonia-and-bosnia-herzegovina-are-declared-safe-countries-of-origin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/19-09-2014-serbia-macedonia-and-bosnia-herzegovina-are-declared-safe-countries-of-origin\/","title":{"rendered":"19.09.2014 Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are declared safe countries of origin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On September the 19th, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe decision as to whether Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina will be \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdeclared safe countries of origin on part of Germany will be made. The debate \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tabout the security against persecution and discrimination in the three states \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis discussed especially in reference to the fate of the Rroma. In this regard, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthere are major disagreements whether and how Rroma are exposed to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdiscrimination. While the proponents of the new law assume that the Rroma are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tindeed affected by poverty in the three countries, they claim that they are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfree of persecution. Just the opposite is stated by many refugee and asylum \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\torganizations, and also by the central council of German Sinti and Roma. These \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdifferent views concerning the security situation of minorities in Serbia, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMacedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina reveal that the assessment of marginalization \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand discrimination are based on very different criteria: supporters of a poor \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsecurity situation refer to meaningful individual cases of discrimination \u2013 famous \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tare cases that proof the difficult access to health care and other \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinstitutions, or show the harassment by government officials: \u201cAlready now, the reasons people have to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tflee from Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are examined too superficially, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcriticises the Frankfurt lawyer Reinhard Marx. […] Especially [application \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom] Roma of the Western Balkan countries are already now mostly rejected without \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdetailed examination \u201cas manifestly unfounded\u201d, the lawyer says. He tells of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thearing reports and decisions of the branch offices of the BAMF [Federal Office \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfor Migration and Refugees]. Refugees have reported \u201cracist assaults, attempted \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trape of girls and suchlike.\u201d \u201cIn reasoning of the refusal, this was not \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taddressed all\u201d, says the lawyer, the reasons for flight are not carefully \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\texamined, \u201cwhich for me is no longer the rule of law\u201d (Grunau 2014). In \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontrast, the proponents of the new law refer to the recognition of the Rroma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby the political establishment of the countries, the appreciation of Rromanes, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand the historical evidence in all strata of society of the integration of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminority, especially in the countries of former Yugoslavia. Ottoman tax \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tregisters proof this already for the 15th century, where Rroma are listed as lawyers, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdoctors and policemen (Rroma Foundation 2002). This integration does not mean \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat there is no discrimination since 1989, through the strong growth of nationalism \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin the countries of South Eastern Europe. Again, different evaluation criteria are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tapplied: according to the proponents of the new law, there is discrimination \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbut no systematic persecution. How can one accurately measured and assess the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tseverity of discrimination? In Bosnia-Herzegovina, because of the Dayton \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAgreement, there is only a constitutional protection of Bosnians, Serbs or \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCroats, but no official recognition of other minorities. But this does not mean \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat minorities such as Rroma are not discriminated against in everyday life, the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcritics claim. The different opinions reveal that the knowledge about Rroma is \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstill dominated by a lot of uncertainties and gaps in knowledge, and that the discrimination \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof a minority in various countries is anything but easily to determine. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTherefore, in doubt, the individual experience of discrimination should always \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbe favoured over a general assessment of the security situation. One owes that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto persons who indeed suffer of discrimination. \u2013 Neues Deutschland (2014) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treports that the stricter asylum law is being adopted because of the approval by \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe red-green government of Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg. The Green minister president of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBaden-W\u00fcrttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, is now criticised because of his \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdecision in his own party. Other German daily newspapers confirm the decision: \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSerbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are now safe countries of origin from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGermany\u2019s viewpoint. This means that asylum applications from these countries \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twill be handled in an expedited fashion in the future and that discrimination will \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tno longer be recognised as a reason for asylum (compare Brey 2014, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDeringer\/Lierheimer 2014, Frenzel 2014, Handelsblatt 2014, Lang 2014, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMappes-Niediek 2014, MDR 2014, M\u00f6hle 2014, Scholz 2014, Wallraff 2014, W\u00f6lfl \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2014).<\/p>\n