Human rights activists across Europe are using the date of EU expansion (1st May) to highlight the case of 21-year-old Slovakian Roma Mario Bango. On the 20th November 2003, Mario was sentenced to 12 years in a Slovakian prison for defending his brother against a racially motivated attack. He was convicted of attempted murder, despite the fact that he did not initiate the attack and his brother's attacker died later from head injuries that medical experts have testified were of unknown cause.

The outcome of Mario’s case should be seen in the context the racial discrimination against the Roma people by the Slovakian state. Before his sentencing, the judge described Mario as a member of "a lower social order, [who] might continue his crimes"; while his attacker, known racist Brano Slamka, was accorded one minute's silence in the Slovakian parliament. The lack of a fair trial contravenes human rights.

Mario and his family, like Roma across the new EU states, have suffered ongoing racial persecution, not only from individuals but institutional state racism and human rights abuses. Most of the 10 million Roma people – Europe's largest ethnic minority - face grinding poverty, 80% unemployment, and segregation in schools and housing. Amnesty International has recently exposed the violent attacks by Slovakian police on the Roma ghetto at Trebisov.

Attacks on the Roma people are not a new phenomenon - around 1.5 million were killed during the Holocaust. To this day Roma are treated like a criminal underclass, often forced to live in ghetto-like housing conditions outside Romanian, Slovakian and Czech towns, where it is impossible for them to access employment. They are treated as second class citizens within Europe.

Many Roma have already been refused asylum in Britain. Under British law, all new EU countries are considered 'safe' and asylum seekers have no right to appeal against return to the country they fled from. In these circumstances, the human rights record of these countries should come under scrutiny - Mario's case highlights severe injustices that must be addressed. With supporters working to publicise Mario’s case across the world, the circumstances of his imprisonment could soon become a significant embarrassment for the Slovakian government.

"The support of hundreds of organisations worldwide motivates me a lot. The fact that the Slovakian President has had to answer protest letters shows the strength of international pressure." MARIO BANGO March, 2004

ACTION:
Anti-racist activists are planning "12 days for Mario" to draw attention to his case. Events begin on the 1st of May, the day that the Slovak Republic joins the EU, and include fundraising events; meetings to publicise Mario’s case; petitioning; writing to the new Slovakian president, Ivan Gasprovic; and a day for writing to Mario to express support.

For more information contact Joy Knight on ++ 00 7866 695 839
or email freemariobango@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.freemario.org
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