Amnesty Urges Serbia To Halt Roma Evictions

Roma settlement in Block 61 | Photo Courtesy of Amnesty International

Roma families living in Block 61 in New Belgrade have received 48 hours' notice to leave their homes.

This eviction notice follows the request of the Serbian state-owned construction company, Gradjevinska Direkcija Srbije, which has initiated the eviction on the grounds that the settlement is illegal.

The settlement, home to 111 people, of which 59 are children, lies on government land next to an area where Gradjevinska Direkcija Srbije is building apartments.

The families in Block 61 were not consulted about the eviction or offered any alternative accommodation ahead of the coming harsh winter.

Amnesty International has called on activists around the world to write letters to the Serbian authorities urging them to reconsider.

The right organisation says forced evictions should stop until the government provides adequate alternative housing for the families.

"Roma families in Belgrade are continuing to be pushed out on to the streets without providing adequate alternative housing. The authorities must end this unacceptable practice," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

The Serbian authorities have remained silent on the issue.

Under international human rights law, Serbia is required to refrain from and protect people from forced evictions.

But Roma in Belgrade have been subjected to a number of forced evictions since 2000, after Roma displaced from Kosovo sought shelter in the capital, often having no choice but to build informal settlements.

Forced evictions in Belgrade have increased rapidly since May 2009 when the City of Belgrade introduced its "Action Plan for the Resettlement of Shanty Settlements".

The latest warning on the subject came from the European Commission report on Serbia's EU progress, published October 12.

It said there was no systemic approach to displacement of illegal settlements, which are often performed in a manner that results in serious violations of basic human rights.