ROMANIA

World Report 2001 Entry

World Report 2000 Entry

World Report 1999 Entry

World Report 1998 Entry

PUBLIC SCANDALS
Sexual Orientation and Criminal Law in Romania
Today in Romania, gays and lesbians are routinely denied some of the most basic human rights guaranteed by international law. Despite amendments in 1996 to the criminal code provisions relating to homosexual conduct—portrayed by the Romanian government as a total repeal of legislation criminalizing consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex—gays and lesbians continue to be arrested and convicted for such relations if they become public knowledge. Moreover, they face frequent physical abuse and harassment by law enforcement officials, as well as systematic discrimination in many walks of life. Romanian law not only prohibits private sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex, but may also be interpreted to punish speech and association that expresses a homosexual identity—or even support of such identity.
(1789) 02/98, 105 pp., $10.00/£7.95
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LYNCH LAW
Violence Against Roma in Romania
On September 20, 1993, 3 Roma (Gypsy) men were killed by a mob in the village of Hadareni following the stabbing death of an ethnic Romanian. During the violence, 13 Roma houses were set on fire and destroyed and an additional 4 houses were seriously damaged. Approximately 170 Roma were also forced to flee the village due to the violence. Almost a year passed and although local prosecutors indicated that they were ready to issue arrest warrants, no one was brought to justice.
(D617) 11/94, 41 pp., $5.00/£2.95
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Restrictions on Freedom of the Press in Romania
Despite the considerable progress that has been made to ensure an independent press both in practice and in law, there is troubling evidence of official harassment of journalists whose views are critical of the ruling powers, ranging from selective denial of press credentials to the imprisonment of a journalist who wrote an allegory considered defamatory of the President of Romania.
(D610) 6/94, 15 pp., $3.00/£1.95
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Ethnic Hungarians in Post-Ceausescu Romania
From our “ Struggling for Ethnic Identity” series Since the fall of the Ceausescu regime in 1989, Romania has experienced a dramatic increase in xenophobia and racist propaganda characterized by an increasingly vocal press and right-wing political parties. Although there have been significant improvements in many areas of concern to the Hungarian minority in Romania, tensions remain high, resulting in an increasing sense of insecurity among the population. We found that the Hungarian minority continues to face obstacles in equal access to education in its mother language, that there is an insufficient number of trained Hungarian-language teachers, and an insufficient number of classes in the Hungarian language compared to the demand for such classes. What is more, local school inspectors and local government officials have attempted to limit classes in the Hungarian language and to harass Hungarian school officials, casting doubt as to the future of minority-language education. The most serious abuses we documented were at the local level. These abuses include restrictions on freedom of assembly, association and speech by right-wing nationalists elected to local office. The Romanian government has failed to take measures that adequately remedy these abuses, and we call on the government to abide by international law, distance itself from nationalistic, xenophobic, anti-Hungarian or anti-Semitic views, and respect the Hungarian minority’s constitutionally guaranteed right to “the conservation, development and expression” of its linguistic identity.
(1150) 9/93, 152 pp., ISBN 1-56432-115-0, $10.00/£8.95
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Prison Conditions in Romania
Despite the reforms following the 1989 revolution in Romania, the laws regulating prison life are largely unchanged and many of the prison personnel remain the same. Not surprisingly, with decades of neglect and the current economic crisis, prison facilities are sorely lacking in basic necessities and overcrowding contributes to violence among inmates. Helsinki Watch discovered, however, that the most troubling aspects of the prison system are not dependent upon financial resources for improvement: the continuing use of methods of restraint such as handcuffs and leg irons for very long periods of time solely as a form of punishment and the frequent use of isolation cells as a means of punishment for relatively minor breaches of internal prison rules, are just two of the blatant violations of international standards found in Romanian prisons.
(0766) 6/92, 74 pp., ISBN 1-56432-076-6, $7.00/£5.95
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The Persecution of Gypsies in Romania
From our “ Destroying Ethnic Identity Series” Ethnic hatred and violence directed against Gypsies in Romania has escalated dramatically since the 1989 revolution: rarely a month passed without another Gypsy village being attacked. Gypsy homes have been burned, their possessions destroyed, they have been chased from their villages, and often not allowed to return. At least five Gypsies have been killed during mob violence and many have been beaten, yet there has been an absolute failure by Romanian authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence. One of the unintended consequences of the escalation in ethnic violence is a rise in ethnic consciousness, with many Gypsies beginning to believe that their treatment is directly linked to their ethnicity. Gypsy political parties, cultural unions and newspapers have begun to raise the issues of discrimination and ethnic hatred that were not discussed for decades, and are raising the consciousness of the Gypsy people about their shared cultural heritage and common history of persecution.
(0375) 9/91, 136 pp., ISBN 1-56432-037-5, $10.00/£8.95
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SINCE THE REVOLUTION
Human Rights in Romania
Shortly after the December 1989 revolution in Romania, many of the most repressive practices of the Ceausescu era were abolished. As Romanians looked forward to 1990, there was much to celebrate. However, the initial euphoria was quickly followed by a bitter realization that, although Ceausescu was gone, he had left his mark on every institution and every citizen. Although there has been progress, Romania is still experiencing significant human rights abuses. The year 1990 was punctuated by numerous violent events such as the ethnic conflict in Tirgu Mures and the miners’ rampage through Bucharest, in which the role of the government, the army, the police and former Securitate officials is still unclear. These events underscored the fragility of the new Romanian political order, and made clear the fact that forty years of repression has done damage that cannot be mended quickly.
(888) 4/91, 80 pp., ISBN 0-929692-88-8, $7.00/£5.95

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