Category Archives: Bosnia

Bosnia: Roma Rights

Published by:

In spite of millions of Euros spent in Bosnia, Roma are still denied fundamental rights in Bosnia. Their situation has not improved in Bosnia, and they are still ostracised by all other Bosnians. This simply shows that nationalistic states are no place for minorities, and proves that Europe is simply looking, definitively not doing anything.

– BOSNIE-HERZÉGOVINE : MALGRÉ LES POLITIQUES SOCIALES, PAS D’AMÉLIORATION DES CONDITIONS DE VIE DES RROMS. In: Le Courrier des Balkans. 29.01.2018. https://www.courrierdesbalkans.fr/Bosnie-Herzegovine-les-politiques-sociales-n-aident-pas-les-Roms

Voluntary Return

Published by:

The rate of voluntary returns in Germany has drastically decreased during the year. Germany is still deporting Roma refugees from Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and even Kosovo back to their countries following the declaration of these as “safe countries”.
Safe maybe, but not necessarily for Roma.

– Die Zahl der freiwilligen Ausreisen geht stark zurück. In: MDR Aktuell. 22.12.2017. https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/politik/regional/rueckgang-freiwillige-ausreisen-100.html

Roma Children in Bosnia

Published by:

A reportage on a project of Caritas in Bosnia to help children integrate in the school system. The project is run in ten primary schools in Bosnia.
The article contains the usual views on Roma – better learn rather than beg – and fails to indicate that ten school are only a few of the one needed. But much more, it fails to say that many Roma were victims of the war and were evicted from their original homes.

– Enfants roms de la rue à l’école en Bosnie. In: Swiss Info (SWI). 04.12.2017. https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/pour-un-avenir-meilleur_enfants-roms-de-la-rue-à-l-école-en-bosnie/43725562

Bosnia – Still not safe

Published by:

An article highlighting the fact that Bosnia, more than 18 years after the end of the war, is still not safe for Roma to return. Ethnically cleaned countries are not good for minorities.

– Sanel Ahmetovic: «Pour les Roms, la Bosnie n’est pas un pays sûr» In: La Voix du Nord. 30.06.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/184932/article/2017-06-30/sanel-ahmetovic-pour-les-roms-la-bosnie-n-est-pas-un-pays-sur

Italy: Criminal???

Published by:

The Italian tax police is not known for being soft. They arrested an elderly Bosnian Romni and confiscated 25’000 EUR she had painfully saved – knowing that she lives below the poverty level. She is 71 years old …

La comunità Rom: “False le accuse contro Djula Ahmetovic” In: Go News. 24.06.2017. http://www.gonews.it/2017/06/24/la-comunita-rom-false-le-accuse-contro-djula-ahmetovic/

Bosnian Rrom Actor

Published by:

The Bosnian Rroma actor Nazif Mujic who won a Silver Bear award for Best Actor for his performance in the film ‘An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker’ at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2013 is selling his trophy because he needs money.
A shame for Bosnia and for us all.

– Roma actor sells Silver Bear award to feed kids. In: ENCA. 07.01.2017. http://www.enca.com/life/entertainment/roma-actor-sells-silver-bear-award-to-feed-kids

Bosnia and Rroma

Published by:

The struggle of Rroma in Bosnia, a country that broke down because of nationalism and leaves little space to minorities. Here, the story of Redzo Seferovic who is the first Roma elected to head a municipal council in Bosnia.

– Roma breaks glass ceiling in Bosnia but challenges remain. In: Yahoo Singapore. 19.12.2016. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/roma-breaks-glass-ceiling-bosnia-challenges-remain-041933821.html

Football: Callas to Ban Croatian Song

Published by:

The French Association SOS Racisme is calling for a ban of the Croatian supporters’ song “Lijepa Li si” a song that was composed by an ultra-nationalist Marko Perkovic, an admirer of the Ustacha. The song also promotes the conquest of Bosnian lands …

Rroma Refugees in Hamburg

Published by:

Rroma who are under threat of deportation to their former “home” country due to the “safe country” regulation are currently occupying a church in Hamburg. This is their last hope. And a shame for Germany, especially in the case of Rroma from Bosnia and from Kosovo, two countries that were ethnically cleansed with Europe watching and doing nothing.

Rroma in Germany Protest Expulsions

Published by:

Rroma in Hamburg have occupied a church as a protest against blanket expulsions based on the “safe country” principle. Especially when in the case of Kosovo, Bosnia, this is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Join the protest!

IDPs in Serbia

Published by:

According to the UNHCR, 21 thousands internally displaced (IDPs) Rroma live in utter poverty and a third of them live in buildings not intended for housing. These Rroma were mostly displaced during the Wars between Serbia and Croatia as well as during the Bosnian conflict and the Kosovo war.

05.12.2014 Administrative court of Münster: Serbia not a safe country of origin for Rroma

Published by:

Die Zeit (2014) reports on a recent judgment of the Münster administrative court. When assessing the application for asylum by a Serbian Rroma family, the court reached the verdict that Serbia does not constitute a safe country of origin for the Rroma minority. The judges justified their judgment, among others, by pointing out that unsuccessful asylum applicants can expect to be criminally prosecuted upon return. Thereby, the court also questions the new law, which declares Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina but also Serbia to safe countries of origin. Several administrative courts had agreed to the asylum applications of Romany families in the recent past: “The administrative court (AC) of Münster questions the constitutionality of the new asylum reform of the federal government. The judges granted an urgent application for asylum by a Serbian Roma family, and stopped their imminent deportation, said the AC. The court has thus set itself in conflict with the federal government, which declared the Balkan countries Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to safe countries of origin in November. The AC wants to clarify now in main proceedings, whether the law should be submitted to the federal constitutional court for review. When declaring a state to a safe country of origin, the legislators must make an overall assessment of the significance of political persecution conditions in the relevant country. Decisive are the criteria prescribed by the constitution. The legislator maybe did not sufficiently comply with this regarding the Serbian Roma and the negative Serbian emigration requirements. Moreover, the legislative history did not show that the decisions of administrative tribunals were taken into account. For instance, the administrative courts of Stuttgart and Münster upheld the urgent complaints of Serbian asylum seekers in a variety of cases.” Rroma are not politically persecuted in Serbia. However, that does not mean that they are not exposed to repeated discrimination in everyday life. Particularly the Rroma already economically marginalised. The assessment of the individual case should always be favoured against a reductionist assessment of the social situation in a country. Rroma have been provably integrated in Southeast Europe for centuries – as, Ottoman tax registers, among others, show ­ and form part of all strata of society and professions. However, since the Yugoslav wars and the strengthened nationalism, Rroma increasingly face discrimination. Furthermore, there is the mentioned law of the Serbian criminal code that threatens asylum applicants with criminal prosecution upon return (compare Prantl 2014).

rroma.org
fr_FRFrançais