[Fwd: ERRC: Letter to Italian Prime Minister]

[Roberto Pignoni <pignoni at mat.uniroma1.it>]

Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 09:47:11 +0200
From: Tatjana Peric <tatjana at errc.org>
Organization: European Roma Rights Center
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Subject: [Fwd: ERRC: Letter to Italian Prime Minister]
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Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 17:02:56 +0200
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From: European Roma Rights Center <errc at errc.org>
Subject: ERRC: Letter to Italian Prime Minister
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On May 30, 2000, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an international
public interest law organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and
provides legal defence in cases of human rights abuse, sent a letter to
Italian Prime Minister Giuliano D'Amato to express concern about abusive
raids by authorities on Romani settlements which took place in the early
morning hours of May 28. During the raids, authorities destroyed property
and dwellings belonging to Roma, evicted Roma from a number of locations,
used abusive language, and reportedly expelled at least one Romani family
>from the country. In its letter, the ERRC urged Prime Minister D'Amato to
take a clear stand in condemning abusive police behavior and racist acts
against Roma.  The ERRC additionally urged thorough investigation into
allegations that officers exceeded their legally sanctioned powers during
the May 28 raids, and punishment of officers guilty of abuse. The ERRC
additionally called on Prime Minister D'Amato to ensure that possessions
impounded be restored to Roma forthwith, and destroyed property be
compensated. The text of the ERRC letter follows:


Honourable Prime Minister Amato,

The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), an international public interest
law organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and provides legal
defence in cases of human rights abuse, is deeply concerned about recent
abusive raids by authorities on Romani settlements in Italy.

According to on-site monitoring by the ERRC, eyewitness testimony provided
to the ERRC and to the Italian non-governmental organisation ARCI, as well
as media reports, in the early morning hours of May 28, 2000, more than
1000 municipal police officers, carabinieri (police reporting to the
Ministry of Defence) and members of the military conducted raids on the
municipal "camps for nomads" of Arco di Travertino, Muratella, via
Candoni-ATAC, la Rustica and Vasca Navale in Rome.

At the Via Candoni-ATAC camp, more than 200 municipal police officers and
carabinieri arrived in riot gear, carrying rifles and truncheons, with
military buses, two ambulances, four tow trucks and bulldozers. They
entered the camp at approximately 2:15 AM and began ordering individuals
out of their places of residence -- camper vans and shacks. The 200
inhabitants were told by authorities to pack their belongings and that they
would be transferred to another camp. Some camper vans were towed away with
belongings inside, however. Romani inhabitants of the Via Candoni-ATAC camp
were taken to the Muratella camp. One family, the T. family from Bosnia,
was reportedly expelled from Italy with four children and sent to Bosnia,
though no official had confirmed the expulsion as of May 29. Advisor for
Nomad Affairs for the City of Rome Dr Luigi Lusi was present at the raid on
the Via Candoni-ATAC camp and told the ERRC that "this is a simple and
legal operation to give these people a better living space." When queried
as to why the operation took place in the dead of night and without being
announced, Dr Lusi told the ERRC, "when working with criminals, one has to
move in secrecy, or else they will all escape."

Members of the non-governmental organisation ARCI and other observers
arrived shortly after the raid began. According to their testimony, police
used excessive force. During the raid, officers pushed one ERRC
representative and used discriminatory and abusive language against Roma
present. Officers refused to provide identification or to provide names and
titles to the ERRC or to journalists present at the raid.

At the Vasca Navale camp, in response to a prior tip that the camp would be
raided, all but three of the ninety inhabitants fled the scene before
police arrival. The three inhabitants remaining were taken by police to the
Muratella camp. Officers told them that camper vans in Vasca Navale would
be impounded, but that inhabitants of the camp would be allowed to recover
their belongings later.  Instead, twenty vehicles were destroyed, four or
five were impounded, all shacks were torn down and the camp was closed.
City council member Mr Amedeo Piva later told members of the
non-governmental organisation ARCI that the destruction of the camper vans
had been a "mistake" and that they would be replaced.

At the Arco di Travertino camp, more that 100 municipal police officers and
carabinieri arrived in riot gear and carrying rifles and truncheons, at
approximately 1:30 AM. Officers arrived with a police bus, ambulance and
two tow trucks. The Arco di Travertino camp is authorized by the city of
Rome and is equipped with utilities and sanitary services. There were, at
the time of the raid, forty inhabitants living in the camp. With the
exception of one individual, all are either Italian citizens or have valid
residence permits. Authorities announced that Romani inhabitants of the
camp at Vasca Navale would be transferred to the Arco di Travertino camp
and that the present inhabitants would be expelled from the camp. At
approximately 10:30 AM Sunday, after a nine hour siege, the police
evidently abandoned plans and left the premises.

During all of the raids, police closed roads in a one-mile radius around
the camp areas. The operations took place during a strike by Italian
journalists, precluding effective public scrutiny of the abusive raids. In
a press release of Sunday May 28, 2000, the City of Rome's Advisor for
Nomad Affairs Dr Luigi Lusi stated: "This initiative [was] coordinated by
the City of Rome, all police forces and immigration services. Apart from
dismantling illegal camps, [we] managed to evict dangerous criminals. We
found objects in their possession worth more than 1 billion lira
(approximately five million euros) and large and expensive cars." Dr Lusi
did not elaborate further on the nature of the objects "found" or whether
they had been impounded by authorities. He also did not elaborate as to the
nature of charges against "dangerous criminals" or how the public had
benefited from their eviction. Referring to unspecified individuals -- and
by inference all of the Roma concerned -- Mr Lusi stated: "The City of Rome
confirms their battle against criminality and delinquency. We have sent
away the delinquents."

Honourable Prime Minister Amato, abusive raids and the violent disruption
of the homes of Roma in the middle of the night stands in violation of
Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, prohibiting
inhuman and/or degrading treatment, and protecting the right to home and
family life respectively. The ERRC is additionally concerned that the
stigmatisation of groups of Roma as "delinquents" and "criminals", without
clear specification as to the nature of criminal offenses, numbers of
individuals charged with criminal acts, and without expressed decisions in
specific criminal cases by courts of law, may violate international legal
provisions to which Italy is a party including Articles 14 and 26 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Articles 2 and 5 of
the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, and Articles 6 and 14 of the European Convention on Human
Rights. The international community has repeatedly condemned abusive
practice vis-á-vis Roma by Italian authorities. Most recently, the ERRC
appealed to the office of your predecessor, Prime Minister D'Alema, on
March 7, 2000, to condemn abusive behaviour by the Rome police and to
provide remedy to Roma targeted in raids on the Tor de' Cenci and Via
Carucci settlements. The ERRC received no response to the March 7 letter,
and notes conspicuous silence on the part of Italian authorities in the
face of a rising tide of abuses against Roma in Italy.

Honourable Prime Minister Amato, the ERRC urges you to take a clear stand
in the early days of your tenure in office to condemn abusive police
behavior and racist acts against Roma.  The ERRC additionally urges your
office to initiate thorough investigation into allegations that officers
exceeded their legally sanctioned powers during the May 28 raids, and to
punish strictly officers guilty of abuse. Possessions impounded should be
restored to Roma forthwith, and destroyed property should be compensated.
We kindly request to be informed of the results of any such investigations
and of any disciplinary and compensatory measures taken.


Sincerely,
Dimitrina Petrova
Executive Director


Persons wishing to express similar concerns are urged to contact:

Prime Minister Mr Giuliano Amato
Fax: +39 066798648

Minister of Internal Affairs Mr Enzo Bianco
Fax: +39 046549534

Minister of Defence Honourable Professor Sergio Mattarella
Fax: +39 06 4885756

Foreign Minister Mr Lamberto Dini
Fax: +39 0636912092

Mayor of Rome Mr Franceso Rutelli
Fax: +39 06 67102175

Advisor Responsible for Nomad Affairs for the City of Rome Dr Luigi Lusi
Fax:  +39 06 676 92 865


*****************

The European Roma Rights Center is an international public interest law
organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and provides legal defence
in cases of human rights abuse. For more information about the European
Roma Rights Center, visit the ERRC on the web at http://errc.org.

European Roma Rights Center
1386 Budapest 62
P.O. Box 906/93
Hungary


Telephone: (36 1) 42 82 351
Fax: (36 1) 42 82 356

*****************

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