Domestic Cases: Macedonia

10 August 2015

Free Movement and Migration

Border discrimination and passport confiscation

In 2009, the Macedonian government introduced a set of repressive measures aimed at preventing its citizens from leaving the country, including passport confiscation, enhanced border controls, and profiling. These measures almost exclusively result in Roma being refused the right to leave their own country. The ERRC, together with the Macedonian Young Lawyers’ Association and lawyers, is supporting some of those Roma who were either forbidden to leave the country or whose passports were confiscated to challenge the discriminatory and otherwise unlawful conduct of the authorities in a series of cases. The ERRC is supporting the litigation of 14 individual cases of people who allege they were racially profiled, as well as a further case resulting from situation testing the ERRC organised.

Response to Violence and Hate Speech

Topana

During a police raid in a Romani settlement in Skopje, in the eve of a big Roma holiday in May 2013, the police randomly used excessive force against by-passers and locals, inflicting injuries on several people. The ERRC is supporting one of the victims of this police brutality to enable him to take legal proceedings against the authorities.

Police brutality against Roma minors

In May 2014, while going to the local shop to buy groceries, two Romani teenagers were stopped and detained by the special “Alfa” urban street crime unit under suspicion of having committed a criminal offence. During the arrest, they were physically assaulted by several police officers. The ERRC, together with the locally based partner NGO, is assisting the victims and their parents in the criminal proceedings in demanding accountability and prosecution of the police officers involved.
 

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