In the media

In Cambodia, Court frees 13 land eviction protesters

June 27, 2012 A Cambodian appeals court Wednesday ordered the release of 13 women who had been sentenced to 2½ years in prison for protesting their eviction from their homes without adequate compensation, in a case that was widely seen as an example of injustice. The women cheered in the courtroom, their supporters applauded and […]

In the US, Thousands Flee Colorado Springs Area as Winds Fuel Wildfire

June 27, 2012 With wind and heat giving it new strength, the furious wildfire that has been burning in the foothills around Colorado’s second-largest city doubled in size by Wednesday, first roaring past containment lines and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee, chased by billowing smoke, blowing ash and the fear that their […]

Brazil World Cup: Forced Evictions Violate Residents’ Rights

The minidocumentary “We Are The Legacy: The Story of Elisangela” (below) is the first in a series of videos being produced by the human rights organization Witness, in partnership with Brazil’s Comitê Popular Rio Copa e Olimpíadas, to tell the story of people affected by forced evictions linked directly or indirectly to preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Making land laws work better for women in Rwanda

June 22, 2012 When Thabita Mukamusana’s partner died shortly after the birth of their child, she raised their son without hope of connecting him to his paternal family, or his inheritance, in her village in south-west Rwanda. Because the boy had been born outside of marriage, she believed that any claim would be impossible. Yet […]

Eviction drive sends families to the streets in Indira Nagar, India

The Chennai Corporation on Monday removed several houses and a small temple that came in the way of a proposed approach road to a new bridge connecting Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Indira Nagar. The bridge was recently inaugurated by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa via teleconferencing.

Uganda searches for survivors after deadly mudslide

At least 18 people have been killed with more feared dead in eastern Uganda after a mudslide buried several villages. The slide followed heavy rains in an area where deforestation is thought to contribute to the problem.

Rio+20 : “Qu’ils nettoient devant leur porte avant de parler de la planète !”

(Português) (Only in French) Par Nicolas Bourcier (Rio de Janeiro, correspondant) Elle prépare le thé avec les pétales des roses qu’elle a cueillies dans le jardin de sa maison. D’un ton calme, Inalva Mendes Brito évoque les souvenirs de ce passé heureux, ces années 1980, lorsqu’elle est venue ici, à Vila Autodromo, une petite favela située au […]

Seventeen killed in violent land eviction in Paraguay

In Paraguay, an eviction action resulted in 17 deaths. The conflict ocurred in the Canindeuyu district, 240 kilometers from the capital. The local farmers say the State illegally distributed the land during the military rule of Alfredo Stroessner.

Special Rapporteur visits Fortaleza, Brazil, to discuss impacts of the Soccer World Cup to the right to housing

In June 2012, the Special Rapporteur, Raquel Rolnik, promoted a working visit to Fortaleza, Brazil, regarding the evictions and other violations to the right to housing related to sports megaevents. Fortaleza is one of the host cities to the 2014 Soccer World Cup.
The Rapporteur visited the communities that are going to be affected by the mobility and other construction sites, made to the 2014 Cup. She met with representatives of the State, of the City Council and of the organized civil society movements at the City Chamber.

In South Africa, squatters to live among rich

June 8, 2012 GROUP of informal dwellers living in a shanty town in Moreleta Park, informally known as Plastic View, has won the right not to only stay – but to build houses in one of the city’s most affluent areas. When the housing project gets off the ground, those who qualify will live on […]