3:30 PM
Amnesty International reported that over 100 adults and children were to be forcibly evicted from one of Pirita's five “informal settlement” in northern Romania unless local authorities decide to back down on their pledge to destroy their homes. Baia Mare local officials gave 26 Romani families until this morning, Friday September 7th to tear down their homes. If they did not cooperate authorities said they would simply move in and destroy their housing which would leave them nowhere to go. But to add on to the troubles of the Romani families, local authorities expect those evicted to reimburse the cost of the demolition.
David
Diaz-Jogeix which is the Deputy Director of Amnesty International's
Europe and Central Asia Programme made the comment that, “This
is an unconscionable move to purge Romani families – some of whom
have lived in Pirita for years – from their homes, without prior
consultation and without providing adequate alternative housing in
line with international standards”. He also said, ”Evictions at
Pirita or other settlements must only be carried out as last resort,
after all other feasible alternatives have been explored – forced
evictions must be avoided at all cost and any resettlement must be
carried out in compliance with international human rights standards”.
He noted that by authorities doing this hundreds of men, women, and
children would be left out in the street with nowhere to go.
The
residents of this area not only expressed their fears about the
situation of being forcibly evicted but also how they never received
much information about the local authorities decisions that greatly
impacted their lives as well as the lack of formal tenancy for their
own property.
These
Romani families were not only to be forced out of their homes but
were also expected to pay the cost for this to take place. They
received very little warning and were left with no place to go. And
even upon being told that their plans of demolitions greatly lacked
human rights safeguards the authorities still planned to proceed.
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