Human Rights in the Republic of Macedonia 2006
Human Rights in the Republic of Macedonia 2006

Summary/Abstract: The Report on Human Rights in Macedonia- 2006, is a sublimate of the analyses associated with the promotion and protection of human rights and freedoms, as well as an attempt to draw general conclusions on the basis of the information and data available. In the domestic legal system, human freedoms and rights represent a basic constitutional postulate. These rights are further recognized and regulated in numerous Laws adopted by the Macedonian Parliament. Provisions regulating certain aspects of human rights can be found in the Law on Public Servants, Criminal Code, Law on Education, Law on Labor Relations, Law on Police, Law on Local Self Government, Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, Law on Religious Communities and Religious Groups, Law on Child Protection etc. Although the Republic of Macedonia has adopted a significant list of legislative measures in regards to its international obligations concerning human rights, large gaps continue to exist in these legislative measures. In addition, there is a lack of implementation and enforcement of the legislation that has been developed, which is exacerbated by long waiting periods and trial delays in an understaffed and under-funded judiciary. This report also, gives an overview on Macedonia's political situation in 2006. All Macedonian political parties share the view that Macedonia should become a member of the EU and NATO Promotion of multi-ethnicity, political moderation, and tolerance are widely understood as being important characteristics of Macedonian politics. The national political system is currently free from such threats to stability as insurgency or war. With regard to human rights, the government generally respected the human rights of its citizens. However, there were problems in some areas. Police abuse of suspects continued to be a problem, and there were allegations of police harassment of ethnic minorities, particularly members of the Roma community. Corruption and political pressure in the interior and justice ministries, the courts, and the public prosecutor's office impeded the investigation of some human rights abuse allegations and the process of bringing the accused to trial. Concerning the social situation in Macedonia, unemployment rates have not improved much in the past years and those hovering consistently around 37% for the population. Despite government initiatives, such as the Law on Employment Promotion (2003) and the National Action Plan for Employment (NAPE) no noticeable reduction in the unemployment rate or positive trends in the labor market has not occurred nor the poverty was identified as a top priority issue in the protection of human rights and freedoms.

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