Brussels, 16 December 2024: A new report published today by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) demonstrates the depth of institutional racism towards Roma in the police and criminal legal systems of three Balkan countries: Greece, Serbia, and North Macedonia. The report, Ruthless & Racist: Policing Roma in the Balkans, reveals widespread cultures of impunity amongst the countries’ police forces and finds failures to protect Roma, as well as to adequately investigate racially motivated hate crimes, to be common to law enforcement in all three countries. The report draws on nearly three decades of ERRC litigation and human rights monitoring to demand that state authorities abide by their declared commitments to the principles of justice and equal protection before the law.

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Date of Publication: 10 December 2024

Submission Deadline: 31 December 2024

Brussels, 26 November 2024: In a new ERRC report, young Roma rights defenders sound the alarm about the volume of online hate content targeting Roma and spell out what needs to be done to combat, and ultimately shut down, online antigypsyism. They warn of the consequences when racial hatred goes unchecked, and urgently called on political leaders to “demonstrate more responsibility and accountability to prevent, sanction and counter any form of hate speech against Roma in both traditional and new forms of media.” 

Sofia, Brussels 20 November 2024: In a ruling on 12 November 2024, the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court has overturned a social services and lower court's decision that would have separated a Romani child from his family, marking a significant victory for family rights and child welfare in Bulgaria.

Brussels, Sofia 30 October 2024: Human rights activists from the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and the Equal Opportunities Initiative have today called for major reform of the childcare system in Bulgaria to end discriminatory child removals and institutional segregation of Romani children.

Brussels, Sofia, 30 September 2024: A district court in Bulgaria has ruled in favour of a Romani family whose four children had been removed by the state and placed in a state care institution. The legal victory was won with legal representation and support from the Equal Opportunities Initiative and the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC). The judgment takes immediate effect and orders the reunification of the children with their parents. The case highlights ongoing human rights issues within the country's child welfare system and further exposes discriminatory practices against Romani families.

Brussels, 20 September 2024: The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) is recruiting volunteers to counter online racist hate against Roma as part of its Challenging Digital Antigypsyism work. The ERRC and its partners will launch a new phase of monitoring, community action, legal support, and content production against online hate in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia.