ERRC Submission on Roma Rights in Russia to US Helsinki Commission
23 September 2004
Written submission by the ERRC on Roma rights in Russia to the US Helsinki Commission in Washington DC, a body comprised of esteemed US Congresspersons engaged on human rights in US foreign policy. The submission summarizes the main conclusions of ERRC monitoring in Russia, which has revealed alarming patterns of abuse of Roma and other people perceived as "Gypsies". The document was presented in advance of a hearing before the US Helsinki Commission, taking place on September 23. Issues documented in the course of ongoing ERRC research in Russia include:
- Torture and Ill Treatment of Roma by Law Enforcement Officials
- Arbitrary Police Raids on Romani Settlements
- Abduction and Extortion of Money by the Police
- Racial Profiling by Police and Other Officials
- Discrimination against Roma in the Criminal Justice System
- Denial of Fair Trial in Cases in which Roma are Accused of Crimes
- Denial of Access to Justice
- Hate Speech against Roma in Russian Media
- Lack of Personal Documents
- Obstructed Access to Social and Economic Rights
- Blocked Access to Education
- Denial of Access to Adequate Housing
Violence by state officials, paramilitary and nationalist-extremist groups, and discriminatory treatment of Roma in the exercise of their civil, social and economic rights are aggravated by the complete absence of governmental action to address these problems.
The full text of the written submission on the human rights situation of Roma in Russia, provided to the US Helsinki Commission, is available at:
