Pristina, March 30th, 2023 – The team of Ombudsperson Institution, in the composition of Mr. Niman Hajdari, Deputy Ombudsperson, Mrs. Suzana Gashi, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and Protection from Discrimination as well as Mr. Besart Elshani, Senior Legal Advisor, within the scope of promotional activities, meet with citizens from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in Mitrovica, as well as visited some families from these communities, in the course of which, they became more familiar with the challenges and concerns that they have.

Citizens of these communities in this occasion exposed their concerns on the subject of lack of basic living conditions, the severe economic and social situation, high unemployment level, claims of discrimination by municipal bodies as well as by other public and private institutions.

The issue of a vast concern and which requires urgent authorities’ action, both municipal and central, is the large presence of litter on the street but also in the basements and entrances of collective housing, which poses a serious risk to residents. Based on residents’ claims, the collecting of waste is not done by the company that has been contracted by the Municipality of South Mitrovica, due to the inability of paying the bills by residents for economic reasons.

Therefore, the Ombudsperson expresses deep concern with regard to this alarming situation and demands immediate action from the municipal authorities as well as the central ones in finding ways to solve this problem that poses a serious risk to the health and lives of the residents in this locality.

The visit was conducted in cooperation with the NGO “ROMTEGRA”.