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International Tribunal on Evictions report on Brazil: another justice is possible

Report produced by the International Tribunal on Evictions on the cases of Brazilian communities evicted from their lands, analyzed as part of the complaint lodged during the World Social Forum held in March 2018 in Salvador (Bahia). Another justice is possible.

The publication, produced in partnership with the Centre de Droits Économiques et Sociaux and Terra de Direito, presents a summary of the cases of evictions and threats suffered by the Ilha Mercês Quilombo Community in the state of Pernambouc, the City of Lights Occupation in Manaus (Amazonas), the Comunidade Tradicional Pesqueira e Vazanteira Canabrava-Buritizeiro in the state of Minas Gerais, people living in the street in the South region, and the Povo Sem Medo Occupation, which was the largest occupation movement in Latin America, in the city of São Bernardo do Campo (São Paulo). The publication also covers other cases of communities in Salvador visited by members of national and international organizations.

Based on the study carried out in 18 cities, representing over 230,000 people, the Tribunal says that the public authorities are responsible for 44% of evictions, private owners for around 41% and other social stakeholders for 15%.

With a view to establishing responsibilities and curbing forced evictions, most of the report covers general recommendations for the Brazilian state along with a handful of analyzed cases. “These evictions, far from being isolated cases, are the result of an urban development model which prioritizes the real estate business to the detriment of people's dignity and the rights guaranteed by international treaties and the Republic's constitution. Despite these legal instruments, the Brazilian state refuses to take action or, in certain cases, helps to worsen the situation,” the report explains.


 

About the International Tribunal on Evictions

The International Tribunal on Evictions (ITE) is a people's tribunal created in 2011 by the International Alliance of Inhabitants (IAI) and civil society organizations as part of the World Zero Evictions Day, an IAI campaign to use practical and interactive means to prevent the forced evictions of inhabitants around the world.

The Tribunal draws on the expertise of a Jury of qualified, recognized individuals and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) along with other international legal instruments to judge real cases of forced evictions which represent serious human rights violations.

The seventh session of the ITE took place during the World Social Forum from 12 to 17 March 2018 in Salvador, Brazil. The session was prepared and organized by the ITE International Steering Committee and the National Committee using a participative process involving local organizations and national networks to present cases of human rights violations following evictions in Brazil.


 

International Tribunal on Evictions report on Brazil: another justice is possible

The popular mobilization and impact generated by the combined participation of social organizations in the Local Committee and International Steering Committee highlight the success of the Brazilian session of the International Tribunal on Evictions (ITE), one of the most fruitful of the tribunals, along with the sessions in Quito and the Far East.

Congratulations are due to the excellent leadership shown during the preparations, the logistics, the organization of witness accounts, the participation of the People's Jury and International Jury, and the contribution of experts and local authorities.

Faced with the inaction or complicity of public authorities, the ITE, an authentic people's tribunal recognized by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, has established itself as a powerful instrument combating evictions, a space where people and families can bear witness and claim their right to adequate housing and living conditions, asserting their legal rights according to the ratifications signed by countries that make ICESCR and other international agreements legally binding.

The ITE has become a platform for building r-existences, putting forward proposals and influencing the institutions responsible for evictions, including in Brazil, particularly with the exacerbation of human rights violations in the wake of the recent Brazilian presidential election.

Continued commitment to the Local Organization Committee and strengthening the unity of people's organizations, alliances and international solidarity are key factors in implementing and supervising the recommendations produced by the ITE.

Because another justice is possible.

Positive results worth noting are the case of Monte Sinaï (Guayaquil-Quito, Colombia), declared a "zero evictions zone" after the 2016 ITE, and the case of La Boca (Buenos Aires, Argentina), which, thanks to the 2017 ITE, obtained a signed agreement for drawing up an inter-institutional discussion panel with the preliminary condition of suspending all evictions.

We reaffirm the IAI's commitment to fighting for Zero Evictions, including the positive resolution of the cases analyzed by the ITE, by implementing a series of recommendations, mobilizing international solidarity, and supporting the demand for UN action, particularly for the Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and the Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders to supervise the implementation of the Recommendations within the deadline of 30 April 2019 and during the Zero Evictions Days in October 2019.

The struggle for another justice, for social justice, continues, firmly rooted in solidarity.

 

Cesare Ottolini

IAI Global Coordinator -
www.habitants.org

Soha Ben Slama

Coordinator of the International Steering Committee for the International Tribunal on Evictions


The Volunteer translator for housing rights without frontiers of IAI who has collaborated on the translation of this text was:

Philippa Bowe Smith

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