References to a 'Gypsy mafia'; its activities and areas of operation; police response and possibilities of collusion (2002-2004) [ROM43097.FE]

References to a 'Gypsy mafia,' its activities and areas of operation

An editorial comment published in the 12 April 2001 issue of the daily Ziua in Bucharest referred to "what is commonly known as the Gypsy Mafia" as part of the mafia structures in Romania. A former Romanian general and chief of police, Ion Pitulescu, also referred to a Gypsy mafia, but said that "the white-collar mafia is stronger than the Gypsy mafia" in Romania (Evenimentul Zilei 11 Oct. 2004a).

This former leader of the Romanian police wrote a book on organized crime in Romania (entitled Organized Crime: The Third World War), and pointed out that the Camataru brothers and Fane Spoitoru are literally at war, mainly for control of territories in Bucharest (ibid. 11 Oct. 2004b).

Another article published in the daily Evenimentul Zilei indicated that [I1]"[Romanian] mafia families have their own action zones," and that some of the mafia clans, such as the Duduianu, Sadoveanu, Corsicanii, Gemenii, and Camatarii families, have received a great deal of exposure in the press for their involvement in "flesh trafficking, drug trafficking, weapon trafficking and car theft" (11 Oct. 2004a). No information on the respective areas of operation of the various families could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The Website About.com, which contains ABC News archives, reported that, "after hiding in Canada for four years, the head of the Gypsy mafia in Romania [had] been sent back to that country and arrested on a series of charges, including attempted murder" (24 July 2000). According to another article, the leader in question was Fane Spoitoru (Evenimentul Zilei 11 Oct. 2004b). The Camataru brothers apparently used Fane Spoitoru's stay in Canada to their advantage and took over part of his territory (ibid.).

No other information on the activities or areas of operation of the Gypsy mafia could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Use of the term 'Gypsy mafia' in the press

A study by the Roma Centre for Social Intervention and Studies, a non-governmental organization, indicated that many Romanian newspapers "draw on defamatory stereotypes . . . thus reinforcing the prevalent clichés" (Dec. 2002). Newspapers regularly mention ethnic origin when reporting crimes of which Roma are accused, and the Centre is "deeply concerned to see that . . . this information comes directly from the police" (Roma Centre for Social Intervention and Studies Dec. 2002).

According to Human Rights Watch's annual report for 2002, the 2000 elections "fueled hostility toward national minorities." The Greater Romania Party (Partidul România Mare, PRM) received 26 per cent of the votes after its leader, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, promised to "destroy the Gypsy mafia" (HRW 2002). The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) stated that this politician believes that Romania is controlled in large part by the Gypsy mafia (2001).

According to an article from The Patrin Web Journal, "the term 'Gypsy Mafia' is espoused in order to establish the magnitude of the threat as embodied by an indeterminate, uncontrollable and somehow organised Gypsy crime wave" (1 Mar. 1997). According to the author, this is a way of characterizing the differences between the Roma and the rest of the "normal" population (The Patrin Web Journal 1 Mar. 1997).

Police response and possibilities of collusion

Country Reports 2003 and Amnesty International (AI) reported that the Roma are ill-treated by police forces (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004; AI 2004).

AI indicated in its 2004 report on Romania, that corruption is "widespread . . . affecting all aspects of society." According to the report, there is a lack of progress in combating the trafficking of women and children, despite the Law for Combating Trafficking adopted in 2001 (AI 2004). The United States Department of State also mentioned the trafficking of women and children (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004).

On 12 April 2001, the editorial in the daily Ziua denounced the extent of police corruption. According to a former official, whose statements were cited in Evenimentul Zilei, the police are reportedly afraid to confront Gypsy mafia families or are simply "bought" by them (11 Oct. 2004a).

However, the same daily pointed out that certain important leaders of the Gypsy mafia had been arrested in the last few years (Fane Spoitoru, Ion Voinea, the head of the Stoaca family, and Razvan Dobaies of the Dobaiesti family) (Evenimentul Zilei 11 Oct. 2004a).

For more information on the treatment of the Roma in Romania, please see ROM34916.E of 1 September 2000.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References


About.com. 24 July 2000. "Romanian Mafia King Out of Canada." http://immigration.about.com/library/blHeadlineArchives0700.htm [Accessed 27 Oct. 2004]

Amnesty International (AI). 2004. "Romania." Amnesty International Report 2004. http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/rom-summary-eng [Accessed 26 Oct. 2004]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003. 25 February 2004. "Romania." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27860.htm [Accessed 26 Oct. 2004]

European Roma Rights Center. 2001. State of Impunity: Human Rights Abuse of Roma in Romania. http://lists.errc.org/publications/reports/romaniaE_2001.rtf [Accessed 26 Oct. 2004]

Evenimentul Zilei [Bucharest]. 11 October 2004a. "Miscellaneous." http://www.evz.ro/english/?news_id=168746 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2004]

_____. 11 October 2004b. Christian Levant. "Former Police General Warns Powerful Organized Crime Rings Present in Romania." (FBIS-EEU-2004-1011 12 Oct. 2004/WNC)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 2002. "Romania." Human Rights Watch World Report 2002. http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/europe15.html [Accessed 27 Oct. 2004]

The Patrin Web Journal. 1 March 1997. Kheta Quinn. "License to Persecute: Pariah Populations and the DNA Oracle." Newcastle University NSW, Australia. http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/license.htm [Accessed 27 Oct. 2004]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 28 August 1997. "Romania's Roma Want to Emigrate to Ireland." http://www.rferl.org/newsline/1997/08/280897.asp [Accessed 27 Oct. 2004]

Roma Center for Social Intervention and Studies. December 2002. "Roma and the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities." http://www.romanicriss.org/pdf//english/Roma%20and%20the%20Framework%20Convention%20for%20the%20Protection%20of%20National%20Minorities.pdf [Accessed 26 Oct. 2004]

Ziua [Bucharest, in Romanian]. 12 April 2001. Bogdan Comaroni "Who is a Thief and Who is a Policeman?" (FBIS-EEU-2001-0412 13 Apr. 2001/WNC)

Additional Sources Consulted


Internet sites, including: Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Romania - the Helsinki Committee, Ecoi.net, Human Rights Watch, National Office for Roma, Nineoclock.ro, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Romacenter.ro, Romanews.ro, Romanian Ministry of Justice.

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