This question must be answered through the rule of law, not the rule of cement. Property ownership can only be proved through the courts, not through threats of violence. – OSCE Ambassador to Albania Robert Wilton
TIRANA, August 7 – The threat of forceful eviction of some 37 Roma families in a Tirana neighbourhood by a development company has alarmed human rights watchdog Amnesty International and the international community over the legal procedures followed for the eviction and the provision of alternative housing. Amnesty International says the landowner has not respected procedures set out in law, and the authorities have not taken measures to provide the Roma with any alternative housing. The Roma families, some of whom have lived for 10 years on the site of the former Centre for the Realization of Works of Art in Tirana’s Kavaja street had been told their homes would be demolished on 7 August by Park Construction Albania development company Some have already left after their homes were demolished.
The possible eviction of the Roma has also alarmed the EU Delegation to Albania, the OSCE Presence and the People’s Advocate.
Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, a senior EU Delegation representative warned failure to respect the rights of the Roma and social inclusion, which is one of the 12 key priorities set by the EU, risks Albania’s candidate status.
Acting OSCE Ambassador to Albania Robert Wilton has called on the police, the judiciary and the Municipality of Tirana to respond to the call by the People’s Advocate for a legal response to the situation with Roma families threatened with eviction from their homes.
“This question must be answered through the rule of law, not the rule of cement. Property ownership can only be proved through the courts, not through threats of violence,” Wilton said after meeting the People’s Advocate, Igli Totozani and Charg顤’Affaires of the EU Delegation to Albania, Jochen Schult.
Ombudsman Igli Tototozani called on the Tirana Municipality and the Labour and Social Affairs ministry to find an immediate solution to the housing of the Roma families. He said the issue must be settled through due process between the landowner and the Roma families.
Reacting after appeals by the Amnesty International and the international community in Albania, the state police said they had ordered the stop of the eviction of the Roma, and the construction company will not be allowed to start works without an executive title by the bailiff’s office and an environmental permit by the municipality. Roma families had threatened to sacrifice themselves in case of forceful evictions
Amnesty International
Amnesty International had appealed to authorities in Albania to ensure that some 30-40 Roma families currently living in the Rruga Kavaja in Tirana are not forcibly evicted without a judicial decision, due advance notice, and information about legal remedies available. The international human rights watchdog called on Albanian authorities to ensure that any eviction is carried out in accordance with international standards, including the UN Guidelines on Development-Based Evictions and Resettlement, and in accordance with Albanian law, following a decision by the relevant court. It also urged providing alternative housing, which meets international standards for adequate housing, for these families, after having duly consulted with them.
The forced eviction was carried out by the employees of a construction company who plan to develop the site, with complete disregard for procedures in Albanian law and international standards on forced evictions.
”They came this morning unannounced and I don’t really know what happened. It just happened all very quickly and I am still in shockŠmy home was demolished and I managed to gather some of my belongings Ɨe will stay here on the street for tonight, as we don’t have anywhere to go. My daughter in law has a two weeks old baby and we have three more small children in the family,” Zemrie, a mother of five and grand mother of four, who had lived in the area for the last 30 years, told Amnesty International.
Another eyewitness told Amnesty International that the community plan to protest in front of the municipality to ask for housing, adding “They will sleep in front of the municipality until they find a solution. They will take all their stuff and stay there.”
The local police only arrived after calls from commissioners from the Office of the People’s Advocate and the OSCE in Tirana. The police stopped all further demolition and suspended any further work on the site until their investigation is complete.
A commissioner from Ombudsperson’s office told Amnesty International: “Seven or eight barracks were demolished this morning before the police arrived and stopped it. It was all very chaotic, people were screaming and crying and trying to hang on to their belongings. Some of them managed to pack some of their belongings, but one barrack was demolished with everything inside, another one even caught fire. It was very shocking and frightening for all. People are now left homeless and don’t know what to do. The police have now left and people are left without hope, except for some help from local NGOs.”
Around 30 families left the area last week when they were threatened by company workers and told that their homes would be demolished.
Although Albania does not have a law preventing forced evictions, under Albanian law, the owner of the land is obliged to provide the Roma living there with 10 days notice. Under international standards, the Roma should have been provided with a formal notice of eviction, apply irrespective of whether they were occupying the land lawfully or unlawfully, says Amnesty International.
Roma people in Albania
Roma NGOs say there are around 100,000 Roma people in Albania, the majority of whom living in difficult housing conditions and in extreme poverty. A recent UN “Needs Assessment Study” has revealed a worsening of the housing and infrastructure conditions of the Roma. Over 38 per cent of Roma live in old decrepit dwellings, and a further 21 per cent of Roma live in shacks. Many of these families do not have access to potable water, indoor toilets, or wastewater services. “In spite of their inadequate housing conditions, the Roma do not benefit much from social housing. The poor housing conditions and inadequate infrastructure further isolates them from the rest of society and has an adverse effect on their children’s education,” says a report by the UNDP.
Poverty levels among Roma and Egyptian households remain very high and the gap between them and the majority population has been growing steadily. Poor and very poor Roma households face higher levels of social exclusion and have fewer opportunities to participate in the processes that may affect their individual livelihoods, such as employment and education. The survey data show that the 50.3 percent of the Roma are characterized by high levels of unemployment.
The level of educational attainment of Roma and Egyptians has declined in the years of post-socialist transition. Even though there has been some improvement in the 2000s compared to the 1990s, their low educational attainment levels and the growing gap between them and the majority population are major contributors to their unemployment and poverty. Presently, some 40.3 percent of the Roma over 8 years of age are illiterate, says the report.
