Several organizations that deal with human rights issues have written a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and his special representative in Kosovo, the head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh, through which they have sought solutions for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians who were poisoned with lead under the administration of the UN, when they were placed in camps in the north of Kosovo during the war in the country.
They have requested that the victims of these communities be compensated.
“We, the undersigned organizations working for the advancement of Roma rights, are writing to urge you to work together to finally resolve the situation of lead-poisoned Roma communities in Mitrovica, Kosovo, by offering reparations to delayed for the victims”, it is stated at the top of the letter.
Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian residents who had been relocated to camps in the north of the country had been exposed to lead for over a decade while the UN served as the interim administration in Kosovo. The dire situation had resulted in several deaths, illnesses and other health problems among those there. This was considered “the most serious humanitarian and environmental problem in Europe”.
“It has been eight years since the UN-established Advisory Panel on Human Rights found the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) responsible for human rights violations related to lead poisoning in a case of raised by human rights lawyer Dianne Post. The panel called on UNMIK to pay adequate compensation for both material and moral damage to members of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities living in the camps and to issue a public apology to the victims and their families, among other recommendations. . However, the trust fund established by the UN for RAE communities remains largely unfunded and does not redress the harm suffered by victims. “Victims have yet to receive compensation for their injuries or access to medical care to treat the lingering effects of lead poisoning,” the letter to the UN said.
The organizations cited complaints about this made by global officials dealing with human rights issues and prestigious institutions and organizations such as the European Parliament and Human Rights Watch.
“We welcome the initiative of Switzerland and the United Kingdom to highlight this issue at a recent UN side event and call on other member states to support a just resolution of this issue. The UN’s refusal to accept accountability in Kosovo harms both the victims and the Roma community across Europe. As organizations dedicated to building RAE communities and creating a future based on justice, we call on the UN to ensure justice for the affected communities in Mitrovica. The UN should transform the Panel’s decision into concrete results by providing adequate compensation to the members of the affected communities. Closing this painful chapter in history will be a monumental step to ensure that RAE communities across Kosovo can thrive,” the letter concludes.
Camps where members of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities had stayed were set up near the Trepca mine complex, known to be the cause of lead poisoning and other forms of toxins since the 1970s.
They were sent there to be temporarily housed for 90 days, but ended up staying for several years.
In 2016 the UN set up a panel of human rights defenders to examine calls to hold the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) responsible for leaving the families of RAE communities exposed to lead poisoning. in the camps.
The panel had called on UNMIK to publicly acknowledge its failure to meet appropriate human rights standards in response to the harmful health conditions caused by lead pollution in the camps and to compensate the victims.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, said in 2017 that they are “very aware” of the plight of the Roma in Kosovo who had suffered poisoning under the administration of the UN as a result of directly of their forced relocation to the camps in the north of Kosovo.
