Chronicle
05 January 1999
Campaining for Roma rights
November 6: Submitted cases from Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia relevant to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, for consideration by the United Nations Committee against Torture at its 21th Session on 11 and 17 November, 1998.
November 18: Sent letters to international organisations involved in relief work in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine following the Uzh floodings; relief organisations were urged to monitor the situation closely, ensuring that aid ended in the hands of flood victims and not elsewhere.
Conferenced and mettings
September 4-7: Spoke on the importance of Roma rights for European security at the "34th Conference on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament", organised by the Dutch Reformed Church in Driebergen, the Netherlands.
October 3: Spoke at the roundtable "For Equal Participation of Roma in Public Life in Bulgaria", organised by the Human Rights Project in Sofia, Bulgaria.
October 5-6: With the Humanitarian Law Center co-organised the workshop "Human Rights Litigation — Law and Practice in International and Domestic Courts" in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (see article, pp.57-59).
October 10-19: Trained human rights organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in monitoring human rights, in Guadauri, Georgia.
October 19: Spoke on human rights monitoring techniques at a seminar organised by the Slovak Helsinki Committee in Prešov, Slovakia.
October 22-24: Held the "Human Rights Litigation — Law and Practice in International and Domestic Courts" workshop, in co-operation with the Czech Bar Association and the Czech Helsinki Committee, in Prague.
October 30: Spoke on strategies for Romani media at the Media Conference organised by the Open Society Institute, in Budapest, Hungary.
November 5-8: Participated in the annual meeting of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, where the ERRC was elected onto the Co-operating Committee, thus gaining observer status with the IHF.
December 7: Had a meeting with Kate Hoey, British Under-secretary of State for the Home Office, and Nigel Thorpe, the British Ambassador in Hungary, at which the situation of Roma in Hungary and Slovakia was discussed.
December 7-13: Served as a Steering Committee member for the "Human Rights Defenders Summit", organised by Amnesty International, Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme, France Libertés — Fondation Danielle Mittérand and Mouvement International ATD Quart Monde in Paris, France.
December 10-13: Participated in the "Balkans Seminar" organised by the Romani women's organisation Daja from Kumanovo, and the humanitarian and charitable association of Roma Mesečina from Gostivar, in Gostivar, Macedonia.
December 11-12: Spoke at the "International Conference on the Problems of Roma in Europe", organised in Prague by the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic.
