Chronicle
21 July 2005
Campaigning, Conferences and Meetings
March 1: Attended hearing in the case of D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic, the ERRC's lawsuit against the Czech school system for racially segregating Romani children in educational arrangements, Strasbourg, France.
March 1: Held a press conference in Prague related to ERRC lawsuit against the Czech school system for racially segregating Romani children in educational arrangements, Prague, Czech Republic.
March 2: Discussed racial discrimination issues with an ecumenical youth group from around Europe, Budapest, Hungary.
March 17: Participated in the Roma Health Strategy Meeting, organised by the Open Society Institute Network Public Health Programs, Budapest, Hungary.
March 22: Provided the UN Human Rights Committee with materials concerning Greece's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, timed for that body's review of Greece's compliance with the Covenant.
March 30: Met with and provided written comments to the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture concerning Hungary's compliance with the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Other Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Budapest, Hungary.
April 2-3: Held a training for Romani women in Skopje, Macedonia on documenting women's rights issues, as part of a project in which the ERRC is involved aimed at providing materials to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women related to Macedonia's compliance with the Convention, scheduled for January 2006, Skopje, Macedonia.
April 4-5: Held a training on human rights monitoring for Romani activists in Kyiv, Ukraine.
April 5: Provided materials to Member of the European Parliament Viktoria Mohacsi to assist in efforts to adopt a European Parliament resolution on the situation of Roma in Europe.
April 8: Launched the Serbian-language version of an ERRC human rights training manual for Romani activists at a public event in Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro.
April 9-10: Attended an anti-racism meeting convened by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) and presented ERRC activities there, Dublin, Ireland.
April 12: Participated in parliamentary hearing on the situation of Roma in Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
April 10-13: Met with officials in Russia to discuss conclusions of ERRC research into the situation of Roma and other pariah minorities in the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
April 18: Presented research methodology toward an ERRC-authored European Commission report on the situation of Roma in an Enlarged Europe at a seminar convened by the European Commission, Brussels, Belgium.
April 21: Launched at a press conference in Sofia an ERRC Collective Complaint under the European Social Charter mechanism against Bulgaria, alleging systemic frustration of the right to adequate housing where Roma are concerned, Sofia, Bulgaria.
April 28-29: Held anti-discrimination advocacy training for Romani activists in Florence, Italy.
May 6: Engaged a photographer to document the newly-established group of Romani women victims of coercive sterilisation in the Czech Republic, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
May 11: Launched country report "In Search of Happy Gypsies: Persecution of Pariah Minorities in Russia" on the human rights situation of Roma in the Russian Federation, Moscow.
May 16: Attended a conference convened by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung on the situation of Roma in an enlarged Europe, Bratislava, Slovakia.
May 17-18: Held a training on local, national and international advocacy for Romani activists in Chernihiv, Ukraine.
May 18-21: Held, jointly with Minority Rights Group International and the Swedish Ombudsman on Ethnic Discrimination as part of a European Commission-funded project, a pan-European lawyers training in anti-discrimination law, Budapest, Hungary.
May 27: Presented Roma rights issues at a consultation meeting convened by Amnesty International, London, United Kingdom.
May 30-June 3: Co-organised with the Council of Europe the Ninth Study Session on the European Convention on Human Rights & on the European Social Charter Collective Complaints for Persons Involved in Legal Assistance to Roma/Travellers, Strasbourg, France.
June 2: Attended a strategy meeting by the Coalition for Environmental Justice, of which the ERRC is a member, Budapest, Hungary.
June 13-14: Attended a conference of the Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union on social inclusion matters in Europe, Luxembourg.
June 15: Took part in the hearing "Expulsion of Minorities Back to Kosovo - Beginning of a New Crisis?", organised by Members of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium and presented the Memorandum "In the Aftermath of Ethnic Cleansing: Continued Persecution of Roma, Ashkalis, Egyptians and Others Perceived as "Gypsies" in Kosovo" containing ERRC concerns about the human rights situation of Roma in Kosovo.
June 16: Presented Roma rights issues at a conference at the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.
June 16-17: Organised a workshop and roundtable for lawyers and judges entitled Anti-discrimination in Croatia, sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government, Zagreb, Croatia.
June 16-17: Presentation of the ERRC country report "In Search of Happy Gypsies: Persecution of Pariah Minorities in Russia" at the international conference "Tolerance as Factor of Steady Development of Modern Civilization", Kazan, Russia.
June 20-21: Held a training on strategic litigation for Romani activists in Kyiv, Ukraine.
June 23-24: Presented Roma rights issues at the Euopean Academy, Bolzano, Italy.
June 27-July 23: Took part in the Advanced EU law Training organised by the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.
July 19: Presented issues related to the right to adequate housing at a meeting of the European Transregional Network for Social Inclusion, Cecina, Italy.
July 5-7: Spoke at the Regional Consultation on Violence Against Children in Europe and Central Asia in Ljubljana, Slovenia, hosted by the Government of Slovenia and supported by the Council of Europe, UNICEF, WHO, OHCHR, and the NGO Advisory Panel.
July 5-14: Held the European Roma Rights Centre Summer Workshop "Capacity Building for Roma Rights Advocacy", Budapest, Hungary.
