Chronicle
12 April 2000
PUBLICATIONS
February 10, 2000: Published Roma in the Kosovo Conflict: Published Materials 1999.
March 17: Published Focus: Roma in Hungary: Published Materials 1996-1999.
CAMPAIGNING FOR ROMA RIGHTS
January 20, 2000: The European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg heard a case filed by the European Roma Rights Center on behalf the widow of a Romani man who died at the hands of police in Bulgaria in 1994.
February 23: Sent a letter to Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda to express concern at the human rights situation of Roma in Slovakia, as well as at the failure of government measures to date to combat abuses.
March 7: Sent a letter to Italian Prime Minister Mr Massimo D’Alema to express concern at group expulsions of Roma from Italy.
March 16: Sent a letter to Mr Viorel Ciobota, head of the Military Prosecutor's Office of Tirgu-Mureş, Romania, to express concern at instances of police brutality occurring on March 2 in the Valea Rece neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tirgu-Mureş.
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
November 18, 1999: Provided expert testimony to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography at its hearing on restrictions on asylum in the member states of the Council of Europe and the European Union, Paris, France.
November 30-December 1: Participated in and served as rapporteur at European Union’s first ever Human Rights Discussion Forum, Brussels, Belgium.
December 3-4: Participated as expert in consultation meeting regarding the United Nations’ World Conference on Racism, presented paper on the denial of racism in Geneva, Switzerland.
December 6: Attended conference on Roma initiatives in Hungary, organised by the Project on Ethnic Relations, Budapest, Hungary.
December 10: Led a group at the Human Rights’ Day Celebration in the Gandhi Romani Secondary School, Pécs, Hungary.
December 10-11: Presented Roma rights issues at a UNICEF conference on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Florence, Italy.
January 20-22, 2000: Spoke in Czech Senate on ERRC litigation in the Czech schools case, in the framework of a conference organised by the European Centre for Minority Issues on Romani education under the patronage of the vice-chair of the Senate, Prague, Czech Republic.
January 22: Attended a conference on “Roma and Sinti: Their Future in Italy — A meeting on the camp system and against discrimination”, organised by Florence Peace Tent, Florence, Italy.
January 23-28: Participated as expert in consultation organised by the International Human Rights Law Group on the organisation of the United Nations’ World Conference on Racism in Bellagio, Italy.
January 28: Presented Roma rights issues in the Kosovo conflict at a conference organised by the British NGO European Council on Refugees and Exiles, London, England.
February 11: Lectured on Roma rights issues at International Foundation for Promoting Studies and Knowledge of Minority Rights, Budapest, Hungary.
February 21-22: Participated in the Council of Europe NGO Forum, convened by the Steering Committee for Human Rights as part of the preparatory work of the European Ministerial Conference on Human Rights in November 2000, Rome, Italy.
March 8-9: Attended the third meeting of the NGO Resource Group, set up by Council of Europe/ECRI to assist in the preparatory work of the European Conference against Racism and the preceding NGO Forum in October 2000, Strasbourg, France.
March 8-10: Held four public presentations on Roma and Human Rights at the Harvard University, Boston, United States.
March 8-10: Participated in a training for community centres, organised by the Roma Participation Project, Pécs, Hungary.
March 23-25: Gave a presentation at an NGO fringe meeting concerning access of Romani children to education, organised by the Save the Children Fund on the occasion of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland.
April 3-4: Participated in an EU seminar entitled "Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Anti-Semitism," organised by the TAIEX Office of the European Commission, in co-operation with the DG Employment and Social Affairs, Soesterberg, The Netherlands.
April 7-8: Attended the official opening of the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia and the Vienna Forum, Vienna, Austria.
