Written Comments of the European Roma Rights Center Concerning Kosovo For Consideration by the United Nations Human Rights Committee on the Occasion of Review of the Country Report of Task Forces on UNMIK
24 March 2006
ERRC submission on the human rights situation of Roma, Ashkalis, Egyptians and other persons regarded as “Gypsies” in Kosovo, 1999-present, provided to the UN Human Rights Committee for the closed discussion on the “Country Report” of “Task Forces on UNMIK” during its 86th session, 13-31 March 2006. The materials provided here are based on ERRC monitoring and field research into the situation of Roma in Kosovo. These include media monitoring during the period 1997-present, intensive field missions in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005, as well as six months of durable field presence in 2000. Following a short introduction on the RAE in Kosovo the submission includes subsections on:
- Violence and Other Cruel and Degrading Treatment of RAE, in violation of Article 6, Article 7 and Article 9
- Failure to Prevent Exposure to Extremely Hazardous Conditions, in violation of Article 6 and Article 7
- Failure to Provide Remedy for Gross Violations of Human Rights, in violation of Article 2
- Denial of the Right to Return to Place of Origin in Safety and Dignity, in violation of Article 12
- Systemic Discrimination, in violation of Article 2 and Article 26
- Denial of Personal Documentation, in violation of Article 16
A number of recommendations follow at the end of this document, based on materials provided here.
