Rights Groups Raise Concerns over Roma Eviction Threats in Slovakia
21 September 2012
Budapest, Bratislava, 21 September 2012: Romani families in Slovakia are facing the risk of having their homes demolished , after one of the owners of the land and a leader of a far-right political party declared that he will remove them. Amnesty International and the European Roma Rights Centre and are calling on the authorities to protect these people and their homes.
On 13 September 2012, the owner of the land posted a Facebook event for 29 September calling on people to “clean Krasna Horka,” a piece of land where Romani families live. He has announced his intention to demolish the homes several times. To date, he has not received permission from the building office to demolish the Roma settlement.
Authorities must ensure that the behaviour and intentions of the landowner do not result in human rights violations. Slovakia has responsibilities under the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights when carrying out any forced evictions of Roma. Authorities must consult with the people affected by the eviction in advance to inform them of the eviction, and above all to ensure that evictions don’t make anyone homeless. The Slovak Republic has ratified international conventions which provide protection in the case of forced evuctions. including ensuring access to legal remedies against an eviction, and providing compensation for damages caused by eviction.
Amnesty International and the European Roma Rights Centre are concerned by the provocative and inflammatory language he is using to describe the demolitions, potentially creating an atmosphere of fear and hatred towards Roma in the country.
“Cases of forced evictions have a traumatic and lasting impact on people's lives, and usually affect the poorest and most vulnerable. People lose access to their livelihood, children are taken far from their schools and may stop attending, and in many cases people actually end up literally on the street, "said Mark Martin, Head of Amnesty International Slovakia.
“We would like to see authorities take a proactive role to prevent forced evictions taking place without legal safeguards, and to condemn negative and provocative statements against Roma by high-profile figures,” said Dezideriu Gergely, Executive Director of the ERRC.
Forced evictions carried out without any legal or other protection are prohibited under international law as a serious violation of a wide range of human rights, particularly the right to adequate housing.
For further information, contact:
Sinan Gokçen
ERRC Media and Communications Officer
sinan.gokcen@errc.org
+36.30.500.1324
