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STOCKHOLM (AP) - Sweden's police have been severely criticized for compiling a secret, illegal registry of more than 4,000 Roma, including children.
In a country known for human rights, ethnic equality and strict adherence to the rule of law, politicians expressed dismay at the existence of the list, confirmed by police after a report in a national daily earlier Monday.
Parliamentary justice committee chairman Morgan Johansson described the list as "illegal," saying the constitution forbids registering people by ethnicity.
The country's top police officer, Bengt Svenson, has demanded a joint meeting with all regional police chiefs on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear why a registry of the Roma community was compiled. Reports said it originated in the Skane police district in southern Sweden, but was accessible to police nationwide.
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