This is not a parallel justice system, it is simply part of our tradition," Dorin Cioaba, son of the self-proclaimed King of the Gypsies, said on Monday, when opening the first formal court (called Stabor in Romani language) for the minority group in Romania. "We are here to mediate different disputes among people of our community, so we will try not to judge them, but only to reconcile people," he told Balkan Insight. The unofficial courthouse is located in Sibiu, southern Transylvania, home to a large community of Roma. Dressed in long white and purple gowns, Cioaba, the court's president, and the seven members of a jury opened the first session with a hearing on a dispute between two Roma men who were wrangling over the ownership of a gold necklace that belonged to their mother. Dorin Cioaba, 41, is a graduate in law, while the members of the court's ruling committee are leaders (called bulibasa) of different Roma families.
After more than an hour of carefully listening to both parties' arguments, the jury decided to postpone the case until the end of next month. "Our main aim is to help people reconcile and to go to the official justice system only if there are no other solutions. That's why we are addressing cases of minor disputes among members of our community. Furthermore, we can offer legal advice for those in need," says Florin Cioaba. Among the cases he mentioned are commercial and civil law disputes, counseling for married couples in trouble or the violation of Roma traditions. Until now, the Stabor rulings have not been open to the public and have been held in various locations, including out in the open, often in the street. The mediation has been offered by informal leaders of the community, including elders. Romania is officially home to some 550,000 Roma, although it is widely believed that their real number is at least twice as high. Many people of Roma origin do not declare their ethnicity on account of the widespread prejudice they face in the Balkan country.
Balkan Insight
