Dozens of protesters from Kosovo’s Roma community gathered in the predominantly Serb-populated municipality of Gracanica, east of the capital Pristina, citing police brutality after a Roma youth had been taken into police custody on 19 August.
A local Roma rights NGO, Opre Roma, had previously published photos of alleged injuries sustained by Burhan Ibrahimovic after he was seized by police in Gracanica over an incident involving a woman in the same town. His age has not been confirmed.
Driton Berisha, an activist with Opre Roma, called on authorities to “carefully investigate” the case, and bring those responsible to justice.
Kosovo’s Police Inspectorate (PIK) said it had launched a preliminary investigation into alleged police brutality.
“Referring to [a media request], PIK confirms that it has received a complaint from the citizen and it is at preliminary investigation stage,” said PIK spokesman Arber Beka.
Speaking to the protesters outside the Gracanica police station, Berisha of Opre Roma asserted that the Roma community in Kosovo had been “ exposed to violence, discrimination and marginalisation for generations.”
“We are not here to incite hatred or division,” he said, “we tell those who exercise violence against our community that those actions will not be tolerated and will not be rewarded with our silence all over Kosovo.”
According to the World Bank, Kosovo sees less inequality and ethnic gaps for Roma communities compared to other countries in the Western Balkans, though access to services and economic opportunities remains low.
Roma refers to a number of groups, including Ashkali and Egyptians. They are considered under the broader Roma umbrella in the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.
“We are committed to support this agenda and some of the recommendations coming from the analysis could be internalised in the work program and in the policy dialogue we have in the Western Balkans”, explains Carlos Silva-Jauregui, World Bank Practice Manager for Poverty and Equity.
“A collective action by all stakeholders is needed to enhance the position of Roma in Kosovo and the rest of the region.”
Roma in Kosovo also have weak labour market indicators, consistent with poor employment performance in the country.
“Gaps between Roma and their non-Roma neighbours remain wide, particularly in education and labor market participation. This is particularly concerning because the gaps are between Roma and non-Roma neighbours, that is, households and individuals living within 300 meters of each other,” says Monica Robayo.
Image via Wikimedia
