Africa-Press – Cape verde. Rede ba Rai, a group defending the right to land and housing in Timor-Leste, reported to the UN Human Rights Council the “serious violation of human rights” committed by the Timorese Government in the “forced evictions”.
“The communication calls on the Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing, Professor Balakrishnan Rajagopal, to take immediate measures with the Timorese authorities in order to prevent further human rights violations related to forced evictions”, says, in a statement released today, the Network ba Rai.
The Timorese Government has carried out several demolitions of houses and other structures in the Timorese capital, which it claims were illegally built.
The Timorese authorities also justify the measure with the need to transform Dili “into a clean, organized, healthy and safe environment”, according to the statement from the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
“These evictions violate national and international legislation, and were carried out without any legal basis. They resulted in serious violations of human rights, including the loss of access to adequate housing and school attendance and a significant impact on the health and safety of communities (especially pregnant women and children)”, highlights the non-governmental organization.
According to Rede ba Rai, the authorities’ recent interventions have evicted more than 70 households and more than 300 informal vendors.
“Further evictions are planned for the beginning of May, putting at risk more than 300 households currently residing in Ponte Comoro, Tasi Tolu, Taibesi and Bebonuk”, warns in the statement.
For Rede ba Rai, the “Government’s actions lack a legal basis”, because the “State has not implemented” the registration of real estate, meaning “it does not have a clear legal basis to declare that many of these lands belong to the State”, nor did it carry out expropriations.
The group also considers that the evictions carried out by the State Secretariat for Toponymic Affairs and Urban Organization “does not have legal competence” to carry out evictions.
“The Government did not explore alternatives, carry out effective consultations, or provide adequate notification and compensation. The evictions were carried out using excessive force, including the deployment of military personnel, which resulted in a number of human rights violations”, denounced the organization.
Since 2008, the ba Rai Network, which brings together 21 local, national and international organizations, has recorded more than 180 cases affecting more than 6,000 households.
The non-governmental organization supports communities and families facing forced evictions.
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