Statement to the 2003 OSCE Implementation Meeting
Working Session: Tolerance and non-discrimination II: Prevention of aggressive nationalism, chauvinism, and ethnic cleansing

Statement by
Zsuzsanna Ronyecz
Hungarian Human Rights Foundation

Alarming increase of
Anti-Minority Hostilities in Vojvodina, Serbia

Mr. Chairman, I represent the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation, an independent, non-governmental organization which since 1976 has monitored the human rights condition of 3 million ethnic Hungarians who live as minorities in the seven countries surrounding Hungary.

I appreciate this opportunity to bring to your attention a burning matter: the continued escalation of anti-minority violence in the multi-ethnic province of Vojvodina, Serbia-Montenegro. The region is home to a 300,000-strong ethnic Hungarian community, of which I am a member. Incidents are taking several forms: (1) harassment and physical assault of non-ethnic Serbs including children; (2) threats against ethnic Hungarian and pro-autonomy leaders; (3) desecration of cemeteries and vandalism of property and (4) the proliferation of racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti, along with the destruction of multi-lingual signs.

These occurrences are nothing new to the minorities living there. But the alarming increase in their number and aggressive nature, coupled with the authorities' failure to take immediate, comprehensive measures to halt and prevent intolerance, is cause for great concern.

Our organization's 23-page fact-finding report lists 70 cases of ethnically-motivated incidents committed against minorities since January 2003. This is by no means a comprehensive report. You may find our full report on the display table in the conference center corridors, or can access it at HHRF's website (www.hhrf.org). The findings of this report were also officially circulated among participants.

Official responses to the incidents has been uneven and protracted. Serbian authorities failed to take immediate action to curb those radical elements in Vojvodina which target Hungarian and other minorities as scapegoats. At the same time, official Serbia tries to trivialize the phenomenon by low-balling the number of incidents and misrepresenting their character. Even though on July 13, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica agreed to create two committees to deal with anti-minority hostilities, to date, neither action was taken. HHRF's report includes all follow-up information we've been able to obtain on police investigations and their ineffectiveness. Merely a fraction of the cases have reached the court level.

The international community has focused increased attention on the alarming proliferation of anti-minority incidents in Vojvodina: on July 9, U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos wrote to Serbian Prime Minister Kostunica expressing his grave concern; on July 21, Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Christopher Smith, wrote a letter to Serbian President Boris Tadic; on August 3, 14 Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe signed a motion calling for a thorough investigation of hate crimes in Vojvodina; and on September 16, the European Parliament adopted a resolution authorizing a fact-finding mission to Vojvodina in the coming month.

The preservation of peace and regional stability in the former Yugoslavia is our common interest. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage the OSCE to exchange information with these relevant international institutions and actively monitor the violation of minority rights in Vojvodina.

The OSCE has a highly developed, well-functioning monitoring system with a strong focus on human rights. Unfortunately, this monitoring system failed to follow-up on the rise of Serbian nationalism in the most ethnically diverse region of the country. The OSCE maintained an office in Vojvodina -- even in 1992 -- located in Subotica. In harmony with OSCE's mandate to provide early warning signs of potential conflicts, I urge renewal of the monitoring system in the province to insure compliance with accepted human rights norms.

Thank you very much for your attention.