Recent Romnews postings
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Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 09:01:46 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Recent Romnews postings
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Recent Romnews postings
Roma in Kosovo enclaves need help for basic needs
Kosovo ( T. F. Fruendt for RNN ) February the 28th, 2000
5000 Roma are living in enclaves under permanent threat by the
Albanian population. The inter is over, also the time for speeches.
This Roma, which now remains still inside Kosovo, has lived for 8
months like in "Concentrations-camps".
These people need practical help: Food and secures transportation's
into hospitals, somebody to help them, to get new identifications with
the UNMIK.
1. Whoever knows where there is a cheap ambulance (VW-bus, old models
until type II, and no low chassis):
2. Whoever wants actively to take part: Midwife, nurse,
3. My Docu is since January 2000 on http://www.romnews.com/ , whoever
would like it per enamel:
Send a message to:
[email protected]
Or phone + fax: +385 1 3760439
--------
I've been raising some people which would supply with financial
support, but alone I'm not able to do all the work:
As you know, people cannot leave their enclaves in the Kosovo if they
have dark skin colour, without beaten or, even to be killed. They can
not expect any help in hospitals, they can buy any foods, beans and
flour were putrid, fruit, vegetables, at least dry-milk did not
arrives for months in their enclaves.
All want to help practically: We need an ambulance-van, which can be
used for the transportations into the hospitals. A demand consists
also for a van to deliver food into the enclaves. And somebody with
experience in international law would be needed to help for the
important procedure for the issuing of new identifications-papers in
co-operation with the UNMIK. Otherwise elections will be absurd in the
Kosovo.
Whoever wants to take part voluntarily must know that there is clearly
no security through the UNMIK, UN-Police, KFOR or any other an
international organisation, rather the opposite...
Theo for RNN
---------------------------
Roma from any former communist country other than Hungary need a visa
to enter Canada
Canada ( Ronald Lee for RNN) February the 28th , 2000
Just for clarification, I assume visa rule applies to all the citizens
of those countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia,
Estonia, Lithuiania, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Albania), not just
to the Roma of those countries.
So Roma from any other country than Hungary will find it impossible to
come to Canada to apply for Convention refugee status without a visa.
Some Roma from Bulgaria, Rumania, Albania, Poland and ex-Yugoslavia
have arrived in Canada via the United States but they need a visa to
get into the US as well. Immigration is different from coming as a
refugee. To immigrate you must apply to a Canadian Consulate in your
country of origin. Roma who come as refugees must have a valid reason
to request Convention refugee status and be able to prove this
convincingly. They must be able to prove that the country they come
from cannot guarantee their life or safety and that they do not have
equal access to jobs, housing and education.
This is the first time that I have heard that Canada will accept a
refugee claimant on the grounds that the refugee could not obtain
equal acess to housing in their originating country. Or does the
condition apply only if all three elements that you listed (jobs,
housing, education)?
Each claim is judged on its own merit. Canada does not accept refugees
simply because they come from a specific country.
Ronald Lee for RNN
---------------------------
On Monday, 2/28, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
will have a hearing on Kosovo.
Kosovo ( RNN Correspondent ) February the 28th, 2000
On Monday, 2/28, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
will have a hearing on Kosovo. At present, there are six witnesses
scheduled to testify. Bill Frelick, of the U.S. Committee on Refugees,
will give an overview and probably touch on Romani issues; also
testifying is Andrzej Mirga, Chair of the Project on Ethnic Relations
Romani Advisory Board, Co-Chair of the Council of Europe's Specialist
Group on Roma/Gypsies [as titled], and visiting professor at Rutgers
University.
---------------------------
Kosovo refugees in Serbia and Montenegro
Beograde / Serbia ( Dejan Markovic for RNN ) February the 28th, 2000
Currently a campaign is starting in Serbia and Montenegro to make a
list of all refugees from Kosovo. That campaign will also include Roma
refugees. It is estimated that there are around 80000 Roma refugees
from Kosovo in Serbia and Montenegro.
Currently no Roma organizations are called to participate in this
campaign - I don't know why UNHCR and Refugee commitee of Serbia don't
want our help, which would be precious, because over 60000 refugees
are not living in refugee camps - they are in Roma settlements in the
suburbs of big cities. Our opinion (I speak for Union of Roma
Students) is that it is necessary to include Roma representatives in
this campaign, because most of these refugees don't even speak Serbian
- they only speak Romanese.
Dejan Markovic, member of RNC Youth Section Board for RNN
---------------------------
THE CATALONIAN HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE DISMISSES THE GYPSY MARRIAGE
Barcelona / SPAIN ( Union Romani Espana for RNN ) February the 29th,
2000
This court denies the widow's pension to a woman who got married
throug the Gypsy ritual because it has not legal validity and refuses
having discriminated this couple and states that all marriages have to
follow the Civil Laws
In front of this amazing resolution, Romani Union wants people to be
aware of this fact with this comunication
THE GIPSY WEDDING IS AS LEGAL AS ANY OTHER ONE
We refuse legalists which know the law but do not know how to
interpret nor apply it.
We have already heard the new and read it in the newspaper that the
Catalonian High Court of Justice has denied The widow's pension to a
Gypsy woman, because according to the Magistrates which make it up,
the Gypsy wedding has not legal validity. With regards to this formal
aggression to the culture, history, customs and traditions of 600.000
Spanish Gypsies - and twelve millions and a half that are living in
Europe and get married exactly in the same way as we the Spanish
Gypsies do - the Romani Union announces the intention to appeal
against the sentence until all Spanish jurisdictional petitions
deplete, without refusing the possibility of it being the same
International Court, who passes judgement about this sentence, which
we consider to be completely absurd and unjustified.
In this urgent valuation we want to remind that the president of the
Romani Union, Juan de Dios Ram�rez-Heredia, while being Deputy in the
Spanish Court, presented at The House of Commons a parliamentarian
initiative directed to achieve the formal recognition, on the part of
public authorities, of the Gypsy Wedding. That initiative was accepted
by the House of Commons.
Equally, The Romani Union expresses that even just with the same text
of that parliamentarian initiative, the Spanish Military Court
absolved from joining the military service, young Gipsies who were in
charge of children and proved to be married through the Gypsy ritual.
The Romani Union deeply regrets the Catalonian High Court of Justice
resolution which is far away from the social reality and nowadays
life. Once again, unfortunately, these magistrates have behaved as
those
legists who know the law but are not capable to interpret and apply
it. They remain firm to the norm and apply it falling to recognise the
true sense of its meaning. They are not concerned about the real aim
of it because they only follow the procedural law. They prefer the
legal security rather than any other moral and certitude or material
justice.
We, the spanish Gipsies think that being equal in front of the law, as
it states the 14th article of our Constitution, means that in the
practice of justice should be considered normal, what is normal in
real life and daily good fellowship of thousands of people who are at
the same time Gipsies and full right spanish citizens.
---------------------------
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