Examination of the State report on human rights situation in Serbia and Montenegro in the Human Rights Committee

13/07/2004
Press release

On the occasion of the 81st session of the Human Rights Committee, taking place in Geneva from 12 to 30 July 2004, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) would like to draw attention to the human rights situation in the Union Serbia-Montenegro, whose initial report will be examined by the Committee on July 19.

To this end, the FIDH makes public the note, entitled « Serbia-Montenegro (excluding Kosovo): The failures of the transition », where the limitations of the reforms of State institutions, adopted in the process of democratisation, are pinpointed, with a special emphasis on the failures of the judiciary system. The treatment of the question of war crimes by the authorities remains one of the concerns of the FIDH. Furthermore, the FIDH is deeply preoccupied by the excessive use of violence, torture and arbitrary detentions that police forces are responsible for. Although some progress has been made in the legislation field, there is still a lot to be done so that the police and the law enforcement bodies stick to the law and respect the human rights. Apart from establishing a list of prior victims of the violence of the State institutions, the note underlines also the discrimination and abuses committed against minority groups, especially Roma and Albanians. The FIDH deplores that the State fails to guarantee the security in the segregation and violence against them.

The FIDH highlights the necessity for the Committee to study the case thoroughly and to urge Serbia and Montenegro to comply with the international standards on human rights and fundamental freedoms. The FIDH calls on the Serbian and Montenegrin authorities to fulfil their international obligations in the field of human rights.

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