“In October, following requests from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the EU Council of Ministers discussed measures to address concerns about the number of asylum applications from Serbia and other Balkan states. The Council stopped short of removing the visa liberalization arrangements in place since 2009 but, in effect, required Serbia and other states … Continue reading
Editor’s note: What rich irony that the same month Germany unveils a memorial to Roma and Sinti victims of the Holocaust, the German Interior Minister calls for the re-introduction of visa requirements on asylum seekers from the former Yugoslavia – most of whom, in Germany, are Roma. Excerpt: ”I have a wife and three kids, … Continue reading
Germany considers placing visa requirements on Serbia and Macedonia in response to large numbers of Roma asylum seekers from these countries. Excerpts: “Most of the asylum seekers, according to the government report, are Roma people. German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich has referred to them as “unwanted guests,” who are “breaching Germany’s asylum policies.” Friedrich … Continue reading
Belgrade, Budapest, 4 May 2012: The European Roma Rights Centre sent a letter to Serbian authorities yesterday urging protection of Romani people attacked in the settlement of Jabučki Rit. The Roma were among those forcibly evicted from Belgrade’s Belvil settlement last week. On 1 May around 15 to 20 masked individuals attacked the settlement, shouting racist slogans including … Continue reading
BELGRADE – Hundreds of Roma were evicted from a slum in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Thursday, over the objections of human rights groups, in the latest resettlement to make way for improvements to the city’s creaking infrastructure. Rights watchdog Amnesty International accused the Belgrade authorities of carrying out the evictions without consultation, potentially leading … Continue reading
Serbia must halt forced eviction of 1,000 people from Belvil settlement (Brussels, 25 April 2012) More than a thousand people, over 250 Roma families, who reside in Belvil settlement in Belgrade were told yesterday that they would be evicted on Thursday morning. If the eviction proceeds tomorrow, the Belgrade City authorities will be blatantly … Continue reading
Macedonia to block Roma from EU Macedonia plans to punish Roma who seek to apply for asylum in the EU. Behind this curb on freedom of travel are warnings from Brussels threatening Skopje’s EU aspirations. Since December 2009, citizens of Serbia and Macedonia no longer need a visa to travel to the European Union. Many … Continue reading
(Reuters) – Belgrade teenager Danijel Rasitovic has performed in Montreal and London, but the message of his dance group is rooted firmly at home in the prejudice and discrimination facing the Roma of the Balkans. “We, the Roma, want to battle prejudices about being beggars and petty thieves and to demonstrate we can produce something … Continue reading
UPDATE – 1 March 2012 Thirty-three Roma families, many of whom had fled the war in Kosovo, could be forcibly evicted from their homes in Belgrade, Serbia. The eviction has been set for the 7th of March. Take action now If evicted, the Roma families from Belgrade are likely to be re-housed in metal containers. … Continue reading
The number of Serbian asylum seekers, generally Roma, has peaked in Switzerland in recent months. This “winter tourism” can be explained by the worsening quality of life for this persecuted community not only in Serbia but also in Kosovo. via Switzerland: Roma Travel In Search Of Winter Asylum.
