Romani Woman Injured in Macedonian Protest

25 January 2013

Budapest, 25 January 2013: A Romani woman was attacked and injured in front of her children during a protest at the Centre for Social Work in Prilep, Macedonia at the end of last year.The European Roma Rights Centre is expressing its concern to Macedonian authorities about the incident, and asking for more information about what happened, whether there was any follow-up investigation, and whether any racial motivation was taken into account.

A group of Romani people gathered to protest about unpaid social allowance on 31 December 2012. They asked to speak to the director of the CSWP; some tried to enter the building but were stopped by security guards. During this incident a Romani woman was punched in the stomach and head by one of the security guards. The woman fainted and was taken to hospital. Media reports suggest that her two children were also pushed and mistreated by the security as well.

The ERRC is highlighting that this excessive and disproportionate use of force against the Romani woman and her two children by the CSWP’s security guards may be incompatible with national and international standards. It is not clear if the police were notified about the incident, or whether any disciplinary measures were taken against the two security guards involved in the incident.The ERRC is asking the authorities to disclose this information.

Macedonian version (PDF)

For more information, contact:

Sinan Gökçen
Media and Communications Officer
European Roma Rights Centre
sinan.gokcen@errc.org
+36.30.500.1324