Rights group tells Serbia to stop evicting Roma

Serbia is urged by human rights groups to cease the forced eviction of Roma, an ethnic group widely discriminated against in Europe and elsewhere

Amnesty International urged Serbian authorities Thursday to halt forced evictions of Roma, also known as gypsies, from their settlements in the capital Belgrade and to prevent "systematic discrimination" against them.
The rights group said in a report issued on the eve of the International Roma Day, Thursday, that a series of forced evictions since 2009 from informal settlements in the city are breaching their right to adequate housing.
The report says some Roma families have been resettled in metal containers on the outskirts of the capital, segregated from the rest of the population.
The report describes how the "systematic discrimination" against Roma often gives them no choice but to live in slums, where they have no security and are vulnerable to forced evictions.
There are an estimated 500,000 gypsies living in Serbia, or about seven per cent of the population. They often face harassment from Serbian extreme nationalist groups, and almost exclusively can only find work as garbage collectors.
"Instead of halting forced evictions the Serbian authorities in Belgrade are carrying out more and more, driving Roma communities from their homes and forcing them to live in inadequate housing," said Sian Jones, Amnesty International's Serbia researcher.
"They must stop this practice if they are to abide by their international obligations," he said. "This includes guaranteeing Roma the right to housing provided with sanitation, within reach of public facilities and employment."
Since April 2009, at least seven forced evictions of informal Roma settlements have taken place in the capital, the report said.Many of the forced evictions are part of the Belgrade authorities' plan envisaging large scale infrastructure projects funded by foreign loans. The plans are set to affect the residents of at least 50 of the 100 Roma settlements within Belgrade, the Amnesty report said.
Many of the Roma living in the capital fled Kosovo after the 1999 war there, and some have been forcibly returned from Western Europe after seeking work or international protection in European Union countries, the report said.Unable to register as citizens of Belgrade, they are often denied access to employment, social security, healthcare and education, it added.
"The authorities should also identify social housing and other housing options in locations not segregated by ethnicity to ensure that Roma families have the choice of housing outside Roma-only settlements," Jones said.