Assessment for Roma in Russia

Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References

Risk Assessment

The Roma in Russia have a low risk of protest and rebellion. The group remains dispersed over a large area within Russia, faces relatively low levels of overt government discrimination and repression, and is fragmented politically and organizationally. While Roma organizational capacity has increased in recent years, there still remains no history of protest or rebellion for this group, a condition likely to remain.

Nevertheless, there are disconcerting signs as the situation of the Roma in Russia parallels, to a lesser degree, Roma communities in many neighboring countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Social discrimination remains high, along with unemployment, and the group continues to face restrictions on rights in judicial proceedings as well as reports of systematic abuse at the hands of police.

Analytic Summary

Geographically dispersed throughout the country (REGIONAL = 0; GROUPCON = 0), the Roma minority in Russia differs from the majority Russian population in terms of culture, race, language, and customs (ETHNOG = 1; LANG = 1; CUSTOM = 1; RELIGS1 = 3; ETHDIFXX = 5). As is the case elsewhere, the group has been historically a frequent target of various forms of official and unofficial discrimination and prejudice (ATRISK1 = 1, ATRISK2 = 1). Compared to the levels of discrimination and prejudice faced by their kin in other Eastern/Central European countries, however, Roma in Russia seem to be in a somewhat better position.

The Roma first entered Russia in the 10th century in order to escape Muslim assaults in northern India, their original home (TRADITN = 8). Since that time, many Roma have migrated in and out of Russia to and from other parts of Eastern Europe. After the Russian revolution (1917), the Roma, for the first time, received civil rights along with other ethnic groups. This stimulated a considerable amount of Roma educational and cultural activity. The Communist government also tried to settle the nomadic Roma with a limited amount of success. This ended in the 1930s under Stalin's policy of assimilation and after 1937, nothing was published in the Romani language until 1989. After World War II, when many Russian Roma were killed by the Germans, Stalin's anti-nationalist campaign continued. This resulted in severe discrimination against the Roma, along with other ethnic groups, until his death in 1953. In 1956, however, Khrushchev outlawed nomadism altogether. Despite this, the new law was enforced unevenly, and many Roma continued their nomadic ways. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the reaction of Russians toward the Roma was mixed. While some surveys showed a negative attitude towards the Roma by the Russian people, other surveys did not. However, after the collapse, the rise of nationalist fascism has brought a new wave of racial prejudice to Russia, including fatal inter-group communal conflicts with attacks by ethnic Russians against Roma, especially in recent years (GCC101, GCC103 = 3).

The Roma are among the poorest in Russian society. Many are homeless with crime and begging being their only sources of income. Their illiteracy rate is higher than that of the general population, and many do not speak Russian as a native language. Although there is little information on this, it is probable that they suffer from discrimination in the workplace and in both lower and higher education (ECDIS03 = 3).

The primary Roma grievance reflects the intense discrimination they perceive in the judicial system and treatment by police, reflected in demands for equal civil rights and status (POLGR403 = 1). On a similar note, there were complaints about lack of police protection for Roma against attacks by other groups, and the lack of prosecution of those committing these attacks (CULGR503 = 2). Culturally, there have been increasing, although still muted, calls for greater media and schooling in Roma language (CULGR203 = 1, CULGR303 = 3).

Despite the fact that Roma suffer significant poverty and economic stress, group grievances have remained poorly articulated. However, over the past decade, an increasing number of organizations have sprung up to represent the Roma (ORG03NUM = 8); these remain conventional organizations primarily created to promote and defend cultural interests (GOJPA03 = 1). The oldest and probably most active NGO representing the Roma was Moscow-based Romano Kher (1992), with stated goals to save and develop Roma language and general culture. There are several other regional organizations, such as Roma Ural (1997), established with stated goals of integrating Roma in society and preserving Roma culture. There was no evidence of intra-group conflict.

There are indications of increased repression against Roma by police in recent years. In 2001, systematic police raids into Roma communities were reported across Russia (Moscow, St.Petersburg, Samara, and elsewhere). Further, there were reports of systematic police brutality against Roma in custody, including accusations of torture and abuse leading to death (REP0501, REP0502, REP0503). Nevertheless, there remains no history of Roma protest, much less rebellion (PROT45-03 = 0, REBEL45-03 = 0).

References

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