Roma People in Ukraine should not be the victims of other’s war

This is an open letter from a organization concerned about a long-oppressed people in a war zone they do not feel they are a part of and don’t have the means to escape from.

 Jordan Vasic, Minority Initiative

Minority Initiative, a Roma political autonomous organisation is expressing its concerns regarding the Roma population in Ukraine. Thus, we are asking the UN to provide humanitarian protection to Roma people in Ukraine, as all states are evacuating their citizens, and Roma people do not have state and do not have necessary sources to undertake evacuation for their people. 

Roma people in Ukraine are suffering in these difficult times, and are afraid of the consequences for them. They are very often discriminated in Ukraine, considered as second grade citizens. Therefore, we are appealing to the UN, Russian and USA Government and NATO forces to consider Roma people affected by new political happenings in Ukraine, and this time to protect them, and help them to evacuate if necessary.

Our fear for our Roma brothers and sisters in Ukraine is based on our knowledge of Roma history and long-lasting experience as victims of all wars and crises. Roma people are living everywhere, and everywhere are experiencing the discrimination, racism and being victims in the wars of others. As the Roma are stateless, they are never ever fighting for their state, they are in the armies of states where they live, but as well where they are usually discriminated against in the time of peace.

 Roma history is full of Roma victims, just to remind of WWII, and afterwards in the ex-comunist countries, but as well during the last Balkan wars: for example 200 000 Roma people left their homes in Kosovo, no international body helped them. They were refugees from ex-Yugoslavia, and first on the lists in EU countries for deportation. 

 War crisis in Syria brought new Roma victims, never mentioned by international  human rights organisations. Roma people, as a stateless nation should be protected by the UN, as they never have land-protection interest, no land/no state belong to them. Usually, their property is lost in different wars, but the absurd is as they are stateless nobody protects their property.

 Therefore, we are urging for humanitarian intervention and protection of Roma people in Ukraine.