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Regarding the omission of Roma Journalists in Sofia
Sofia, 5. 2. 2005,
17:30 (BTR SAT/Roma Network)
 The ceremonial signing of the declaration for the beginning of the Roma
Decade was held on 2nd of February 2005.
Prime Ministers with delegations and journalists from the eight european
countries included in the Decade arrived to Sofia. The International Organization for Support of the Media Medien Hilfe
also gave an opportunity for Roma media from
South-Eastern Europe to inform about this event. This event actually was
followed by 32 Roma Journalists and
photoreporters. This was a great satisfaction for the media, especially
with the prefix Roma to be part of the beginning
of the Decade for Roma.
But the Roma Journalists instead of being treated equally as all the
other international journalists, this time had a problem
with the reception in Sofia because when it was needed they didnt have
their agitator who actually brought them to
Sofia- Medien Hilfe. There was no representative to direct these
journalists and to interpolate in the Official Agenda as
there were the other guests of this event.
Since the start a big absurd had been done by the organizers in Sofia.
Actually, there was no reception for Roma Journalists
on the reception of Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxcoburgotski. After
finishing of general reception, it was told to them
that a technical error had been made.
Is it possible for such an error to be made when we talk about the
reception of the President of Government of a state?
The whole event, actually, is dedicated to Roma people, but Roma
Journalists are not present at the reception for dedicated to it.
Is the honor of this event is for those who are not Roma or for
praising an integration of Roma?
We, as Roma Journalists, really feel insulted by what was happening and
we even consider that this conduct is more adequate
to the discriminative treatment toward us. This conduct is shameful and it
doesnt have any sense, and for the shame to be
even greater, the same was happening with us at the cocktail arranged in
occasion of the Roma Decade.
We, as Roma Journalists, question ourselves whether the Republic of
Bulgaria will show an example to the other countries
on how to behave with the journalists of Roma nationality, and if the
answer is confirmed then the Decade should be marked
as really aimed for Roma.
Medien Hilfe should be also considered for this discrimination
towards us, because it is firstly directed toward Medien Hilfe
and then toward us as their grantists. Here, certainly, the guilt should
be ascribed to the Open Society Institute Bulgaria which
treated us, Roma journalists, very unprofessionally.
We are sorry for the character of our letter, but we have to address
this issue immediately, because we consider that if we shall
not address the anomalities made at the beginning than they or sudden
omissions with us will be happening in the future.
These omissions may again result in our subordination to specific persons
and, at the end, lead to a situation where these people would conduct us
on how we should sharp our journalists pen.
Considering that the Roma Decade is phrasing of the Roma prosperity and
that within this prosperous phrasing Roma media
should take a main role. We hope that for the next activities this problem
will be forgotten and a new and clean page for Roma
media will be turned. We hope that the transparency will increase in a
greater stage especially, for these next ten years and
it will prove the cause that we, as Medien Hilfe grantists, are fighting
for - the efficiency and the success of the Roma media.
Zoran Dimov, General Director of BTR SAT |
