Anti-Roma hate crime

OSCE participating States recognized the danger of ethnic hatred targeting Roma and Sinti as early as 1990. Anti-Roma rhetoric, including that focusing on "Gypsy criminality", can be perpetuated in the media and by political actors. EU enlargement, coupled with Roma marginalization, have led many Roma individuals and families to seek better conditions and opportunities elsewhere through migration, often encountering negative reactions in destination countries or areas. ODIHR's annual reporting on hate crime has presented a range of hate crimes targeting Roma. Assault, property damage and murder, involving the use of explosives, firearms or Molotov cocktails have featured in these reports. Among the particularly worrying incidents reported to ODIHR have been arson attacks against Roma homes.

More recently, Ministerial Council decisions in Maastricht (2003), Athens (2009) and Kiev (2013), as well as the Astana declaration (2010) have reconfirmed the need to combat violence against Roma and Sinti and urged participating States to step up their efforts in this regard.

A number of factors suggest that the reported data provide only a fragment of the overall picture of hate crimes against Roma and Sinti. While some participating States record anti-Roma hate crimes, these may not be disaggregated in their statistics and, instead, be included under the heading of racist and xenophobic hate crimes. In addition excessive force against or ill-treatment of Roma, including, for example, in the course of evictions or during stop-and-search actions by the police, can contribute to a lack of trust in the authorities. This, combined with a lack of means and knowledge on the part of Roma communities to monitor and report hate crimes means that these are likely significantly under-reported.

ODIHR TANDIS

International Reports

Croatia

The European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling in the case of Beganović v. Croatia. The applicant was a young man of Roma origin, who had been physically assaulted by a group of young men. He complained that both the attack and the lack of proper investigation into the incident were related to his Roma origin. While the Court found no evidence that the attack on the applicant had been racially motivated, the case nonetheless reaffirms states’ duties under the European Convention of Human Rights to actively investigate and prosecute potentially racist crimes when there is a reasonable appearance of bias motivation.

Hungary

ODIHR conducted a field assessment visit to Hungary in response to a series of violent attacks against Roma. The visiting delegation also included representatives of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the OSCE’s Strategic Police Matters Unit and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination. The field assessment delegation’s report stressed the importance of hate crime data collection and proper investigation. It highlighted the need to raise awareness among law-enforcement and criminal-justice bodies.

Moldova

In November 2009, the UN Committee against Torture expressed concern about reports of violence and hatred towards minorities in Moldova, especially Roma.

Slovakia

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) expressed concern about the increase in racially-motivated physical and verbal attacks over the past few years against members of ethnic minorities, including Roma. It also expressed concern about anti-Semitism.

Turkey

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) expressed concern about allegations of persisting hostile attitudes on the part of the general public towards Roma, including attacks and threats.