BELGRADE, Serbia, April 8 (UPI) -- As International Roma Day was observed in Europe, Amnesty International called on Serbia to halt evictions of the ethnic minority from illegal settlements.
Amnesty International issued a report Friday documenting a two-year wave of forced evictions that left some Roma housed in metal containers.
Vitomir Mihajlovic, president of Serbia's Roma National Council, told B92 in Belgrade the group will hold a public hearing on the ethnic minority's problems.
"We all keep repeating, Roma men and women are illiterate, jobless, poor, discriminated, subordinated. There are only few who know that there are Roma men and women among them who ... are excellent students, those who are socially active, economically independent," said Serbia's equality protection commissioner, Nevena Petrusic.
Bulgaria's National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Demographic Issues observed the day with an event led by Deputy Prime Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, The Sofia Echo reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced discrimination against Roma and announced programs to help communities in Romania, Moldova, Slovakia and Hungary.
April 8 was designated the International Day of the Roma in honor of the first major international meeting of Roma leaders in April 1971 in Britain.
