Bulgaria

Bulgaria to extradite relative of Charlie Hebdo attacker to France

International — Link

Mourad Hamyd, the French brother-in-law of gunman Chérif Kouachi, was arrested in Bulgaria last month suspected of attempting to join Islamic State group.
by La rédaction de Mediapart

Brother-in-law of Charlie Hebdo attacker accepts extradition to France

France — Link

Mourad Hamyd, the 20-year-old brother-in-law of Chérif Kouachi, has agreed to his extradition to France from Bulgaria.
by La rédaction de Mediapart

France mourns attack victims, steps up hunt for terrorists

France — Link

As seven of last week's Paris shootings victims were buried, France issued arrest warrant for a man held in Bulgaria linked to one of the gunmen.
by La rédaction de Mediapart

Roma evictions: more than 2,000 removed from camps this summer

France

In terms of figures, if not official rhetoric, the current government’s track record for dismantling Roma camps in France already matches that of the previous administration. According to headcounts collected by Mediapart, more than two thousand people were evicted in July and August 2012. A number of them were put on two charter flights back to Romania. Despite that, as Carine Fouteau reports, some activists insist the current situation cannot be compared to the Sarkozy era.
by Carine Fouteau

Hopes raised, Roma in France still face a date with the bulldozer

France — Link

Just a few months into his presidency, President  Hollande’s approach has proved to be quite like that of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
by La rédaction de Mediapart

France mulls lifting work restrictions on Roma immigrants

International — Link

French officials to discuss lifting working restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian nationals, in an effort to give legal status for Roma immigrants.
by La rédaction de Mediapart

The 'devastating' stigmatisation of the Roma in France

France — Interview

In the summer of 2010, the French government launched a crackdown on Gypsy immigrants in France,with the demolition of hundreds of Roma camps and mass expulsions, mainly to Romania. In an interview with Mediapart, French sociologist Jean-Pierre Liégeois, one of Europe's leading experts on the Gypsy community, traces the history of the Roma and slams the campaign of stigmatisation against them as "economically costly and humanly devastating".
by Louise Fessard
Free access