Italy needs a clear break with past practices for human rights protection

Policy Response DateJuly 9, 2012 Country: Italy Address: Roma General Type: Discrimination, Institutional discrimination, Equality/Integration Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-roma/zinghanophobia, Inter-ethnic
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Refugees, Roma & Travelers, Ethnic minorities, Asylum seekers Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement, Anti-discrimination, Integration - social cohesion

Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, after a four-day visit to Rome between 3 and 6 July said “The Italian government has been giving signs of a shift in policy, which suggests that there may be an opportunity to finally stop and reverse the erosion of human rights standards in the country. What Italy needs now is for these signs to be transformed into concrete, unambiguous policies and actions”. The Commissioner focused on the human rights of Roma and Sinti and on the human rights of migrants, including asylum seekers. As regards Roma and Sinti, the Commissioner welcomed the recent adoption in Italy of the first national strategy for the integration of Roma, adding that he was very pleased to see that the Roma and Sinti themselves had been consulted and involved in its development. The Commissioner said that the good co-operation established between municipal authorities and Roma and Sinti in some cities should become the rule and be built upon to ensure that forced evictions into isolated camps are relegated to the past. Concerning migrants, the Commissioner welcomed recent declarations at the highest political level that the “push-back” policy will no longer be applied, in the light of the Hirsi Jamaa judgment of the Strasbourg Court. The Commissioner also pointed out that once officially recognized, refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection do not receive the crucial support they need to integrate into Italian society, and are therefore forced to live in destitute conditions. With regard to expulsion centre (CIE), he underlines the length of proceedings which is detrimental not only to Italian citizens and the Italian economy, but also to the European system of human rights protection. He acknowledged the significant efforts to address this problem, but stressed that “it will not be resolved unless all interested parties contribute to the solution, including the Ministry of Justice, the High Council of the Judiciary, as well as judges, prosecutors and lawyers”.

Source: http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/News/2012/120709Italy_en.asp

http://www.soros.org/voices/top-human-rights-official-censures-italy

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2012/feb/ecj-italy-libya-judgment.pdf