EU should end return of Roma to Kosovo, says Amnesty EU countries should end the forcible return of Roma and other minorities to

EU countries should end the forcible return of Roma and other minorities to Kosovo, Amnesty International has said.

In a report published Tuesday, Amnesty gives details of how Roma (Gypsies) are returned to Kosovo, "often in the early hours of the morning with nothing but the clothes they are wearing." Once returned, they face the possibility of continuing discrimination and violence, it says.

In the 1990s, many Roma left Kosovo as war engulfed the ex-Yugoslavia.

Following Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008, the Kosovo authorities have come under increasing pressure from EU member states to accept returnees.

Few receive any assistance when they return to Kosovo, which means that many face problems in obtaining access to education, healthcare, housing and social benefits, Amnesty says in a report entitled No Welcome Anywhere: Stop the Forcible Return of Roma to Kosovo.

Very few Roma are able to find work, with unemployment levels reaching 97%, it says.

Sian Jones, Amnesty International's expert on Kosovo, said EU countries risked violating international law by sending back people to places where they were at risk of persecution or violence.

"The EU should instead continue to provide international protection for Roma and other minorities in Kosovo until they can return there safely," she told BBC News. "The Kosovo authorities must also ensure that Roma and other minorities can return voluntarily and reintegrate fully in society."