US Congress Hears Roma Rights Abuse Concerns in Russia

23 September 2004

Press Release

ERRC Appears at US Congressional Hearing on Roma in Russia

ERRC Executive Director Dimitrina Petrova today appeared with Open Society Institute consultant Leonid Raihman and the Russian Romani activist Alexander Torokhov to testify at a briefing on Roma in Russia before the US Helsinki Commission in Washington DC, a body comprised of esteemed US Congresspersons engaged on human rights in US foreign policy.

Members of the US Helsinki Commission, who had received in advance a 36-page written submission by the ERRC on Roma rights in Russia, heard today a summary of the main conclusions of ERRC monitoring, which has revealed alarming patterns of abuse of Roma and other people perceived as "Gypsies". Issues documented in the course of ongoing ERRC research 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

The magnitude of the abuse is only comparable to that of the perpetrators' impunity, according to the ERRC director. 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.

In her testimony before the Helsinki Commission, Dr Petrova warned that each of the three current security enforcement campaigns of the Russian government – the war against terrorism, the war against corruption, and the war against drugs -- has a racially discriminatory dimension, creating a framework for further abuse of the three most stigmatized national groups in today's Russia: "persons of Caucasian nationality", Jews, and persons perceived as "Gypsies".

On behalf of the ERRC, Dr Petrova called on the US government to play a leadership role and use its economic and political weight to help improve the position of Roma in Russia and address the human rights problems of Roma in Russia as a matter of urgency and as a primary concern in combating racial discrimination. In particular, the US government was asked to:

• Prioritize Roma rights in Russia on the agendas of federal agencies monitoring the human rights situation in the OSCE area and working to strengthen democracy and human rights and to reduce poverty and social exclusion;
• Encourage scrutiny by both its own agencies and international organizations of the counter-terrorism, anti-corruption and anti-drug campaigns currently being undertaken by the Russian authorities, to prevent their abuse in a racist and discriminatory manner as instruments of repression and persecution of ethnic and national communities, including the Roma;
• Assist Russian lawmakers and civil society in preparing and adopting comprehensive anti-discrimination law providing clear and detailed definitions of discrimination and including mechanisms of its effective enforcement;
• Provide assistance to the Russian government and Russian civil society in developing programs and policies aimed at strengthening the rule of law and the access to justice of disadvantaged groups such as the Roma;
• Develop a dialogue with the Russian government and assist it in solving the most acute problems related to the education of Romani children in Russia, and the access of the Roma to employment, healthcare and housing;
• Draw attention to intolerance towards Roma in the Russian media, and support efforts of promoting tolerance and respect for Roma and other stigmatised groups.