Presentation of the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma to Thomas Hammarberg at the Foreign Office in Berlin on 3rd April 2012

Former Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, Thomas Hammarberg, received the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The prize endowed with 15,000 euros was awarded by the Documentation and Cultural Centre, the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, as well as the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation. The special award endowed with 5,000 euros went to Romanian journalist George Lacatus.

Hammarberg, who held office as Commissioner for Human Rights until 31 March 2012, said in his acceptance speech that prejudices against the Roma are still widespread and continue to fuel discrimination and hate crimes. Politicians and opinion makers, in particular, must therefore avoid any stigmatising rhetoric against this community. “Repression of the Roma in the past has been the product of racism and intolerance,” said Hammarberg, who went on to stress our obligation “to learn from history and not repeat the terrible mistakes of the past.” The laureate stressed that collective scapegoating must stop.

In his study published in February 2012, Hammarberg writes, “no European government can claim a fully successful record in protecting the human rights of the Roma. Roma continue to suffer from widespread discrimination and anti-Gypsyism which feed the cycle of disadvantage, exclusion, segregation and marginalisation.”

Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, emphasised that as Commissioner for Human Rights, Hammarberg was dedicated to protecting Sinti and Roma against racial violence and exclusion and also publically criticised culpable governments and the international community as a whole. Rose went on to say that Hammarberg symbolised the “spirit and purpose of the prize in today’s world”.

Reporter and journalist George Lacatus at one of Romania’s biggest newspapers, Evenimentul Zilei, is engaged in a number of activities which aim to abolish stereotypes and negativity towards Roma people in the Romanian media and promote awareness and understanding among journalists with regard to Roma issues. Lacatus is also president of the Roma Journalists Association (RJA), which he founded in 2009.

The RJA denounces racist media reports, offers journalism courses and is a collaborative partner for Roma NGOs at press conferences and journalist training programmes. The association will also turn its attention to internet hate crime in the future, according to Lacatus: “Because at present, one of the most dangerous means of promoting racism and incitement to racial hatred is represented by the Internet.” Prize founder Dr Manfred Lautenschläger praised the special award winner: “George Lacatus recognised that a major cause of Sinti and Roma exclusion is indiscriminate and, indeed, biased reporting – and he wants to change that”.

Romani Rose described the work of this year's laureates as being “of paramount political importance”. According to Rose, the current situation in Europe is of deep concern, with right-wing extremist violence rising at an alarming rate.” The European Civil Rights Prize introduced in 2007 aims at defending civil rights and equal opportunities of Sinti and Roma minorities in their European home countries. It also seeks to send an important message to politicians, the media and social groups across Europe to fight against deep-rooted clichés, prejudices and all forms of exclusion.