“Passage to Heaven” Offered to the Romas of Arkhangelsk

In the spring of 2006 the whole country found out about what is happening in Archangelsk, thanks to a special coverage of “Vesti” television programme (7 March 2006, RTR). A good programme, and all characters of the Romani drama are shown the way they are: the Romas, suffering from discrimination and difficult living conditions, which also could be not so difficult, if it wasn't for the authorities' bad intentions. And the authorities, represented personally by the city’s Major A.V. Donskoy, again manifesting the desire to banish the Romas completely from Arkhangelsk, at any cost and “for the collective good”.

At any cost, in the truest sense of the word: the major isn’t stingy with the 100 000 rubles, which high-minded donators transferred on the specially created account to finance the “departure” of the Romas. In fact, 100 000 rubles for more than 100 people, of which Donskoy wants to get rid of; not enough for railway tickets, but the ambitions of the municipality probably suffice to send off all by airplane. As the head of the city hall V.N. Pavlenko noticed so unbelievable witty: “When everything goes well, the “tabor” will go to heaven”. And despite the authorities would even pay arbitrary prices for the “roman charter trip”, as we have heard in “Vesti”, the journey will probably be cost-free, when the municipal airplanes will help. Departure to a “special trip”… it’s long ago that more than 100 people were expelled. Let’s recall the long bygone 1920s, when authors and philosophers, which the young Soviet power urged to get rid of, were also sent on “special trips”.

Furthermore the reportage shows a cleverly incited population, but apart from these kind of people, also some, who aren’t afraid to condemn the inhuman and illegal policy of the city fathers (and there are more of these, as one could think; the problem is, that they are not often admit to the floor). N.P. Akhramenko, authorized agent for human rights in Archangelsk even directly remarked that she is ashamed of the city and the major. And for these words as well as for honest and human articles and reportages of journalists, it is necessary to thank the city – because quite not all think like the major. And the more courage, energy and work humanity and protection of human rights claims, the more respect it evokes. In Siberia this spring B.M. Kreindel, who outright stand for protection of the Romas there against pogroms and arsons, which are committed by local criminals – if not with the support of the administration than with its approval, was threaten. In the city, where this famous and respected human rights activist lives and works, appeared leaflets not only with information of Boris Maksovitsch himself, but also with his portrait – so that everybody recognizes him on the street and in order to expose him to hunting and persecution.

This is not the first and – apparently - unfortunately not the last case of threatening those, who don’t accept this racism, which overflows the country. But one cannot leave this – by insults and threats emerged - horror, pain, abasement to these, who are by birth in a “non-Russian” family condemned to suffer from pogrom-makers among the populations or from public agents – legally elected and beloved by the population even for their readiness to banish these “non-Russians” “at any cost”.

By the way, wherefore discuss about the “costs” for resettlement? Finally there are accidents. As soon as he found out about the protests of human rights activists on the occasion of the demolition of houses of Roman inhabitants of the settlement Doroshnij, the governor of the region Kaliningrad G.V.Boos yet responded to it: he appeared at a regional television channel and forewarned there, that he will not approve the criminality in the settlement and feels up to even “burn it down with hot steel.” Needless to say, that the population is taking to this. And even on that he counted on. In order that not even the Romas are opposed to him, he also asked Roman girls for a dance, when he decided to delight the people on his inauguration with guitar play and songs. But for the love of the population, it’s sometimes necessary to change one’s opinion, especially when elections are approaching… These elections were called for the 12 March and the party “Jedinaja Rossija” decided to campaign with simple, but potent posters – on them governor Boos and the major of Kaliningrad Savenko just informed: “We choose “Jedinaja Rossija”. So that personal popularity is linked with a certain party – and what one is not doing for the victory of the beloved party.

The “sanitary cleaning of the territory” in the Roman settlement (that way the campaign is named by the administration of the Gurevskiy district, to which Dorozhniy belongs), which started at the end of 2005, got a special going in February 2006. The demolition of occupied houses began. And every demolition went a long with a real open-air spectacle. Not only staff member of Gosnarkokontrola – armed and menacing – and officials, but also the regional television channel “Kaskad” appeared. What for Gosnarkokontrola was there is not so relevant, the main point is, that the campaign looked like a real “ethnic cleansing”. So that the population could see and enjoy the efforts of the authorities, which was undertaken to protect them against the “dangerous” inhabitants of Doroshnij, full access to the terrain was granted.

Mr. Mikhail Andreevich Arlauskas was not in the village when his brother called him on 21 February 2006 and told him that his house was being demolished. When Mr. Arlauskas arrived, he found a ruin on the place where his home had been. Mr. Arlauskas was the owner of the house and was officially registered in it. Mr. Arlauskas commented: “There is only a well left on the place of my house. Am I registered in a well now?”

But the authorities will get even this under control: there are any possibilities to take away the registration as well – in case of exchange of passports, when 14-year old children apply for a passport, when newborns should be registered. Old and young simple doesn’t get a registration. Needless to explain, what this means in Russia and in the other neighboring states of Kaliningrad. One can’t take medical advice, has to be constantly afraid of check ups on the streets and isn’t allowed to travel. Furthermore it’s not possible to carry your seriously ill child to therapy – not in Russia and not in Lithuania.

Valdis tries to manage the problem with the registration of his son, who is born in Doroshnij, because his mother was registered there, yet for a long time. Valdis is citizen of Lithuania, he would like to move to Vilnius with his family, but that’s not possible: his child is not allowed to leave. “I’ve told them point-black, – reports Valdis – you want us to leave, I leave – so let my family go!”

But the majority of the Romas from Doroshnij goes nowhere. They live in houses, where in the meantime even the third generation grows up, where they all were registered and where they were settled according to the edict of 1956. The older people still remember the nomad life and the time, when they became settled inhabitants of Dorozhniy – against their will. It was hard to adapt oneself to the new life, especially because the settlement was anything but comfortable. The people got used to this, they arranged their life their and tried to survive. Once the older generation worked in the kolkhoz, today this possibility is lacking. Once they had electricity, today electric current is missing. Once children went to school, today only children of the families with cars are able to learn. The next school is 5km away and there is no public transport in Doroshnij. Lamps shine only, when the owner of the house installed his own generator, which - with much noise - gives energy for one flickering little lamp. But the majority of the houses evenings sink in the darkness. And every spring the settlement floods – in this time the houses nearly swim.

The people got used to this. Poorly, very poorly, but they live. It’s not really astounding, that on these inhuman conditions someone begins to perpetrate. The inhabitants of Doroshnij don’t deny that once in a while someone begins to deal with drugs. But we don’t speak about “drug-barons”, which roll in money – the majority of the dealers are drug addicts themselves, living on the brink of death. “Drugs are an awful evil, - the inhabitants of the “tabor” told us – we don’t see any future for our children, when drugs further stick to our life. We thank the police for their good work, for that, that nearly all dealers are arrested, some already for a long time.”

It’s obvious, that arresting some dealers doesn’t solve the problem – it’s rather necessary, that the authorities concentrate their attention on the horrible living conditions in Dorozhniy, try to improve them and first of all give electricity, a school bus and jobs for the inhabitants of the settlement. However demolishing houses and banishing more than 200 people is not only easier, but also quite profitable! Kaliningrad grows and Doroshnij is yet not far from the city. Of course, much input is needed; one cannot build elite mansions on a flooded place without electricity! But all this would be worthwhile – in Kaliningrad may people would like to buy building ground!

In this manner it’s easy to forget about the not exiguous means, which the inhabitants of Doroshnij already have expended for privatizing their houses, starting proceedings in order that their houses become legally accepted, or for the measuring of ground for the planned rearrangement of the settlement and about the incontrovertible fact, that they tried to discuss all this questions with the administration of the Gurevskiy district and the very encouraged and even affirmed this plans - until recently… The magic word “criminal situation” annihilated all legal actions about protecting home for more than 40 families.

However, the authorities in Kaliningrad aren’t right. They forget that the Russian Federation is member of the Council of Europe, the UNO and other international organizations. That such infringement of - Russian and international - rights, like the discrimination of a population group for ethnical reasons call for intervention of these higher instances. And that human rights activists existing even therefore that these laws are observed and that one doesn’t get rid of them by canceling meetings or – albeit worse - threaten them with “red-hot iron”.

The Northwest Center for the Social and Legal Protection of Roma is not the only organization, which is alarmed by the infringements of rights of the Roman inhabitants of Dorozhniy. The director of European Center for the Rights of Roma, D. Petrova mailed a letter to governor Boos, in which she pointed out, that the administration does not only infringe the Russian Constitution, but also a set of international pacts about social, economic and cultural rights, which Russia ratified. The International Federation for Human Rights on that account directed a letter to three special departments of the UNO – the departments for discrimination, racism and protection of home.

And the Justice Initiative pledge itself to bring in actions of some inhabitants of Dorozhniy to the European Court on Human Rights. According to an – in the Russian Federation working - advocate of this organization, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which Russia ratified in May 1998, is violated in at least three cases. Article three guarantees, that no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, article 8 guarantees - among other things - that everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life and his home, and finally article 1 of the 1.protocol of the ECHR, which entitles every natural or legal person to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions.

First, by making a decision about the demolition of houses of the inhabitants of Dorozhniy, the Russian courts are obliged to consider, that many of them already acquired a factual property right by adverse possession (article 254 civil law of the Russian Federation); According to this article the demolition of the houses is tolerable only by existing of serious public interests and an adequate indemnity for the originated losses. The public prosecutor of the Gurevskiy district and the Regional Court ignore the given circumstances. Second, the demolition of houses, especially in the winter and without alternative accommodations is an inhuman and degrading treatment. Third, the demolishing of houses represents a direct offence against the sanctities of private and family life. The European Court of Human Rights yet judges in some of his decisions, that the house, the domicile of a man is an indispensable element of private and family life. To all these numerated violations there is one further to add: the discrimination of the inhabitants of the settlement Doroshnij for ethnical reasons (article 14 ECHR).

The European neighbors of Kaliningrad already begin to understand, that such a discrimination of a part of the population is cannot be tolerated. But instead of waiting for reactions of international organizations and a big national shame, it would be better to solve these problems ourselves – legally and humanly.

Bulletin No.13

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