1993 Hădăreni riots

The 1993 Hădăreni riots was a pogrom in the village of Hădăreni, Mureș County, Romania, involving Romanians and Hungarians against Roma on the other side; three[1] (or four, according to some sources[2][3]) Roma were murdered.

The riots

On 20 September 1993, a group of Gypsies had an argument with an elderly Romanian. When his son arrived to rescue the father, one of the Gypsies knifed the younger Romanian to death. The Gypsies then sought refuge in a house where they locked themselves in. The Romanians requested them to leave the house and render themselves to police. As the Gypsies refused to come out of the house, the Romanian and Hungarian villagers, including the local police commander and one of his officers,[4] gathered outside, sprayed the house with gasoline and set it on fire. Two Gypsies were lynched when they tried to flee, one burned to death inside, and one escaped.[2] There had been dozens of complaints about thefts by Gypsies from the majority population in the previous period which were never solved by police.[5]

Afterwards, in a "classic case of mob justice",[1] 13 (or 14, according to some sources[3]) Gypsy houses were burnt down, and an additional four were damaged. The police did nothing to stop the attacks.[3] Most of the 130 Gypsy inhabitants of the village fled into the nearby woods, returning only after days or even weeks.[2]

The government, in its official explanation, expressed understanding for the "anger of the villagers."[6]

The trial

After charges were filed in 1997, five men were convicted by a Romanian court of murder, and seven of property destruction and disturbing public order. In 1999, the Romanian Supreme Court acquitted two of the accused murderers and reduced the charges against the other three.[4]

The European Court of Human Rights decided that the Romanians have to pay €238,000 compensation to the group of Gypsies whose houses were burnt down. According to the European Court verdict, representatives of the Romanian Police participated in the arson, and then tried to hide this. The court also decided that the ethnic origin of the people involved was an important factor in its outcome, and that the length of the trial (11 years) infringed on their right to a fair trial.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Romanians vent old hatreds against Gypsies: The villagers of Hadareni are defiant about their murder of 'vermin'". The Independent. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  2. "Hadareni Journal; Death Is a Neighbor, and the Gypsies Are Terrified", in The New York Times, October 27, 1993
  3. "CEDO: România trebuie să despăgubească cu 42.000 euro o familie de romi, victime în Hădăreni" (in Romanian). Mediafax. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  4. "Bomba Hădăreni". 9am.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  5. "Eastern Europe's Scapegoats: Governments Turn Blind Eye to Violence Against Roma". Der Spiegel. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  6. "Decizia Curții Drepturilor Omului în dosarul Hădăreni". BBC. Retrieved 12 July 2005.
  1. Haller, István: Lynching is not a crime: mob violence against Roma in post-Ceaușescu Romania, Roma Rights, Spring/1998 (ISSN 1417-1503), ERRC, Budapest, p. 35-42.
  2. Haller, István: Cazul Hădăreni, Altera, nr. 7/1998 (ISSN 1224-0338), Editura Pro Europa, Tîrgu-Mureș, p. 106-123.
  3. Haller, István: Procesul Hădăreni, Altera, nr. 28/2005 (ISSN 1224-0338), Editura Pro Europa, Tîrgu-Mureș, p. 63-92.
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