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Roma National Congress

Umbrella Organization Of The European Roma Civil Rights Movement

Board: Ondrej Gina (Czech Republic), Jozef Cervenak (Slovakia), Rudko Kawczynski (Germany), Asmet Elezovski (Macedonia).

 

Press Conference of the RNC concerning the

Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust-Shoah

 

The RNC, on behalf of its member organisations and associations held a press conference today, January 15th, 1999 in Hamburg, Germany.

The aim of this conference was to present a lawsuit, meanwhile registered in Bern, Switzerland, asserting that the funds paid by the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust-Shoah for Roma and Sinti were in part mislaid.

This assertion is based on the following argumentation and facts:
  1. The RNC is in possession of 29 written legal complaints - out of around 200 known cases - showing that funds were improperly distributed in Poland by a Roma organisation based in Auschwitz, one of the so-called partner organisations of the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust-Shoah. The recipients of these funds were given 1'500 Polish Zlotys - the equivalent of about 600 SFr. instead of the full allotment of 1'500 Swiss Francs.
  2. The RNC asserts that the fund did not react to its warnings as well as to the mailing of this information. This information was given to the fund starting in August 1998 by three RNC Polish Roma associations as well as directly by the RNC. The Swiss OSCE representative was also informed in November of these developments.
  3. The RNC further asserts that the actual organisation of the Fund, such as the presence in its advisory board of organisations who are part of the distribution process actually opens the door to possible abuses and conflicts of interests
  4. Victims were and are forced to apply to the fund via third party "partner" organisations opening the door to all sorts of possible - and in some cases effective - abuses, such as restriction as to whom can get access to the humanitarian help or even worse. The RNC would have wished to see more concern on the part of the Swiss authorities involved in those matters as to the well being of the real claimants, namely the ones who were persecuted under the Nazi regime.
  5. The RNC claims that the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust Shoah neglected its duty and responsibility, namely, to protect the victims from potential abuses by partner organisations.
  6. The RNC is further trying to establish the facts concerning the distribution of other funds. This task is unfortunately difficult as the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust never published any report of activities beyond the fact that a total of 6.2 million SFr. were awarded to 5'200 Roma and Sinti victims of the Holocaust.
  7. The RNC has been made aware by its members of several other possible irregularities - which currently cannot be established beyond doubt - as we do not possess enough information on the part of the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust-Shoah.
  8. As a result of this opacity, the RNC has decided to establish a commission under the direction of the RNC's laws offices of Dr. Heinsen, Dahlstroem, Schneider, Kreuzer, Longolius and Schoop to establish if, where and how funds were distributed as well as to assist victims of the practices of some partners of the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust-Shoah.

To that end, the RNC has created two hotlines, one in Poland and one in Germany, as well as undertaken an information campaign in collaboration with Kinsella Communication Ltd. Washington USA, for example via internet to advice the victims of the Holocaust of their rights as well as about the how and functions of the various currently active funds helping victims of the Holocaust. Should the informant wish it, the information thus will remain confidential. We are kindly asking the press to spread this information and give the numbers of these hotlines as well as the internet site information.

  1. RNC's wish would have been to see both more transparency on the side of the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust. The way the matter of distribution of this "humanitarian" help was organised showed a slack disregard of the victims themselves. The first criteria, their total relaxation, i.e. any Rom born before 1944 in a country occupied or allied to Nazi Germany was to be considered. We argued that the funds available would not suffice, a fact confirmed through the stopping of further payments towards the end of 1998.

In view of those facts and this argumentation, the RNC would have liked to see another implementation of this distribution of funds, one which would show more respect of the dignity of the victims as well as more equal, not adding as a further indignity the separation of victims in have and have nots. The RNC would have wished and is still hoping for the establishment of a foundation so as to guarantee a continued and serious help to the needy victims of the Holocaust.

We are waiting to see Switzerland finally come to term with its past and fulfil the obligations it has willingly entered in. This also, in our view means that the Swiss Fund For Needy Victims of the Holocaust - Shoah insures that its help actually has reached its intended recipients.


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