Situation of minorities in Romania
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 29 September 1984 (14th Sitting) (see Doc. 5259, report of the Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries, and Doc. 5264. opinion of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography). Text adopted by the Assembly on 29 September 1984 (14th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Considering the right of ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language ;
2. Recalling that these human rights are solemnly guaranteed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Helsinki Final Act and the Madrid Concluding Document of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe ;
3. Conscious of the fact that the aforementioned rights include not only the right to stay in one's own country, but also to leave it at any moment ;
4. Conscious also of the fact that discrimination and violation of human rights can drive citizens into trying to leave their country ;
5. Recalling the alarming reports that persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities in Romania are denied the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their religion, or to use their own language ;
6. Noting that the Romanian authorities' policy gives rise to serious injustices towards the persons concerned and in many instances makes it impossible for them to leave Romania ;
7. Welcoming, however, the recent release (on 20 August 1984) of the Romanian Orthodox priest Fr. Gheorghe Calcui, in response to an international campaign on his behalf and pressure from governments of member states, urges the Romanian authorities to also release Ovidiu Podborshi, Gabea Dinu, Refec Cornel and Marianec Petru, currently in prison for organising a public campaign for the rights of Christians to be respected and for Fr. Calcui's release ;
8. Stressing particularly the fact that the states participating in the CSCE agreed in Basket III of the Helsinki Final Act to give sympathetic consideration to applications to leave presented by their citizens for reasons of family reunion or reunion of fiancés, simplify the procedures and reduce the fees payable ;
9. Having noted with deep concern the decree of the Council of State of Romania dated 1 November 1982 stipulating that permission to leave the country- even in cases of family reunion and reunion of fiancés- can be granted only if study grants and social security benefits are paid back to the Romanian Government in foreign currency, even though the possession of foreign currency is a punishable offence ;
10. Noting that the Romanian Government's policy in all these matters constitutes a flagrant violation of the Helsinki agreements,
11. Calls on the Romanian Council of State :
a to ensure the respect for and actual enjoyment of the rights of persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, as well as to protect their legitimate interests as provided for in international agreements and the Romanian Constitution ;
b to stop violation of basic human rights of national minorities as occurs at present in Romania in the social, ethnic, cultural, economic and religious fields, and to create a situation in Romania by which all peoples can live without discrimination and will not be driven into deciding to leave their own country ;
c to rescind the decree of 1 November 1982 and to authorise those persons who have applied to leave to do so, in accordance with the agreements and treaties which Romania has made or to which it has acceded ;
12. Notes that the Chairman, the two Vice-Chairmen and the Rapporteur of the Committee on Relations with European Non-member Countries are prepared to go to Romania at the invitation of the Romanian authorities to monitor developments there.
