Strasbourg, 18/9/2012 – “Lengthy proceedings and the treatment of Roma and migrants in Italy raise serious human rights concerns” said today Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, releasing a report based on the findings of his visit to Italy carried out on 3-6 July 2012.

“It is high time that durable solutions be found to the excessive length of court proceedings, which is a long-standing human rights problem in Italy, generating the highest number of so-called repetitive cases lodged before the European Court of Human Rights.” The Commissioner stressed that no solution to this problem is likely to work “unless it benefits from the full collaboration of all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Justice, the High Council of the Judiciary, as well as judges, prosecutors and lawyers”.

The Commissioner welcomes the adoption of Italy’s first national strategy for the inclusion of Roma and Sinti. “It must now yield concrete actions. The policies of segregated camps and forced evictions should be once and for all discontinued. There is also a continuing need to work against anti-Gypsyism, which remains rampant in political discourse and in the media. Regrettably, some measures taken recently, such as the severe downsizing of UNAR, the anti-discrimination office entrusted with a co-ordinating role under the strategy, may thwart the chances to achieve Roma inclusion and fight against discrimination.” (more...)

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