A representative of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Warsaw told the DIRB during a 1 December 1995 telephone interview that there are only a few skinhead splinter groups in Poland and that the Foundation did not receive any reports of violence perpetrated against Romas by these groups in 1995.

The attached excerpt of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights' (IHF) Annual Report 1995 highlights the emergence of extreme nationalist movements that have directed their activities against the Roma community since 1989 (1995, 133). The attached article from The San Francisco Examiner states that crimes against Roma have increased and that redress mechanisms are still at their initial stage (21 May 1995).

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

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw. 1 December 1995. Telephone interview with representative.

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF). 1995. Annual Report 1995. Vienna: Helsinki Federation of Human Rights.

The San Francisco Examiner. 21 May 1995. "Gypsies Under siege; World."

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights' (IHF). 1995. Annual Report 1995. Vienna: Helsinki Federation of Human Rights, p. 133.

The San Francisco Examiner. 21 May 1995. "Gypsies Under Siege; World."

Amnesty International. Yearly. Amnesty International Report. New York: Amnesty International.
Amnesty International. Bulletins and news releases.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. U.S. Department of State. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Reports. Daily.

Human Rights Watch. Yearly. Human Rights Watch World Report. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Material from the Indexed Media Review (IMR) or country files containing articles and reports from diverse sources (primarily dailies and periodicals) from the Weekly Media Review.
On-line searches of news articles.