US Releases 2009 Human Rights Report

The general conclusion of the latest report, presented in Washington on March 11 by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is that 2009 was “a year of contrasts”.

Many of the human rights problems in the Balkans cross borders and are found in varying degrees in all the countries in the region, while other issues noted in the report are particularly prevalent in certain countries.

When it comes to the Balkans, corruption is an issue found throughout the region, and it concerns government officials, police, and officials in the health and media sectors, among others.

Different types of discrimination are found in all the countries of the region, including against women, children, homosexuals and other minorities.

According to the report, Roma people face the greatest amount of discrimination, suffering from the effects of prejudice in access to education, health system and employment.

Religious minorities also endure human rights violations in the Balkans, and the report points specifically to Jewish people and Muslims as two of the main groups affected.

Domestic violence is found throughout the region, the report finds, and child abuse is also a particularly prevalent problem in some areas.

Human trafficking remains an serious cross-border issue in the region, with countries in the Balkans serving as origin, transit and destination countries.

 

The Report Notes Specific Human Rights Problems Found in Each Country in the Region

 

In Albania, “societal killings”, including both "blood feud" and revenge killings, all forbidden by the law, are observed.

The report cites NGOs which estimate that approximately 120 families were effectively imprisoned in their homes from fear of blood feud reprisals in 2009; half of these families were located in Shkoder.

Trafficking in human beings remains a problem in Albania. Victims were trafficked primarily to Greece, but also to Italy, Macedonia, Kosovo, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and other west European countries as well as within the country.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the absence of extradition treaties with neighboring countries is noted as a “major hurdle to bringing suspects to justice, particularly given the relatively small size of the country, the prevalence of dual citizenship, and the ease of movement across borders with former-Yugoslav countries”.

In recent weeks Bosnia signed extradition agreements with Serbia and Croatia, developments that will likely improve the judicial situation in the country.

The report also noted that Republika Srpska Prime Minister called the State Court and the State Prosecutor's Office "fake institutions" imposed by the Office of the High Representative and called for their abolition.

“The State Court War Crimes Chamber and entity courts continued conducting war crimes trials during the year. The State Prosecutor's Office opened 33 new war crimes investigations involving 103 suspects and confirmed 18 new indictments involving 31 alleged war criminals, but many lower-level perpetrators remained unpunished.”

In Bulgaria, discrimination on religious grounds is noted. “The state budget allocated approximately $2.5 million for registered religious groups, but an estimated $2.1 million was allocated for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church… Since 2008 there have been 110 cases of vandalism against mosques.”

Trafficking of pregnant Bulgarian women who are then forced to sell their children abroad remains a problem. “During the year authorities reported 13 investigations into baby selling in Greece.”

The report also comments on corruption in Bulgaria, specifying that prevalent corrupt practices included bribery, EU funds fraud, elaborate embezzlement schemes, legislation protecting private interests, and official protection for organised crime figures.

The report claimed that the Croatian judiciary system is still suffering from a case backlog, and the “ineffective prosecution of some domestic war crimes trials remained a problem”.

It described societal violence and discrimination against ethnic minorities, “particularly Serbs and Roma” as major human rights issues in Croatia.  

According to the report, “government influence over the media” is a significant problem, with local governments partly or fully owning approximately 70 per cent of the local media.

In Kosovo, the government, with the assistance of EULEX prosecutors and judges, tried and punished perpetrators of war crimes from the 1998-99 conflict. However, many cases remained unresolved.

Intimidation of reporters by public officials, politicians, and businesses was noted as a problem in Kosovo.

“Journalists reported pressure from politicians and organised crime, which frequently resulted in indirect forms of censorship. Some journalists refrained from critical investigative reporting out of fear for their personal security.”

The report notes that spousal abuse in Kosovo is a “serious and persistent problem”.

“Between January and November, police reported 856 victims of domestic violence in Kosovo. Convictions for domestic violence were rare.”

In Macedonia, the implementation of judicial reforms is noted as a problem, while political pressure and intimidation “hindered the effectiveness of the judiciary”.

“Tensions between the ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian populations continued to impact areas including education, employment, and political participation.”

Child abuse is a problem in some areas of Macedonia. “Roma often organised their children into groups to beg for money in public places”, and child marriage occurred in the Romani community and, “to a lesser extent”, in the ethnic Albanian community.

The establishment of an independent judiciary remains a problem in Montenegro, according to the report. “Some observers contended that the executive and legislative branches, through the process of proposing and adopting the budget for the courts, could influence the independence of the judiciary.

"Some contended that the regulation of housing allocations for judges, who receive state‑funded housing, should be more transparent in order to eliminate any concerns about inappropriate influence.

"Observers also asserted that the system of appointing judicial and prosecutorial officials contained inadequate protections against political influence on the judiciary.”

In Serbia, where there is no state religion, “the majority Serbian Orthodox Church continued to receive some preferential treatment.”

Corruption and the harrassment of journalists were also noticed as serious human rights issues in Serbia. Long-term solutions to the large numbers of internally displaced people was also cited as something that Serbia has yet to implement fully. In addition, limitations on freedom of speech and religion were noted.

The fact that suspected war criminals Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic remain at large was also cited.

The reports notes that in Slovenia, “while there are no governmental restrictions on the Muslim community's freedom of worship, services were commonly held in private homes for lack of a larger venue.”

The Jewish community in Romania was a target in 2009, according to the report. “In most cases the Federation of Jewish Communities notified authorities, but perpetrators were often not identified.

"The NGO Center for Monitoring Anti‑Semitism in Romania (MCA Romania) noted that authorities tended to play down anti-Semitic vandalism, usually attributing the acts to children, drunks, or persons with mental disorders.”

The report notes police misconduct in Romania in relation to two murders. One case involved a 28-year-old man who was allegedly killed by a police officer because of “listening to loud music”.

The second victim was a 31-year-old man, who was allegedly killed unintentionally. Both police officers suspected in the murders are under investigation.