A11 Initiative: Residents of Belgrade informal settlement still face homelessness

Residents of an informal settlement in Belgrade remain at risk of homelessness after an interim measure from the European Court of Human Rights expired without being extended, the A11 Initiative said.

The measure had stopped the forced eviction and demolition of huts at the settlement on the corner of Braće Jerković and Vojvode Vlahovića streets. The initiative said the expiry did not remove the city and municipal authorities’ obligation to provide suitable alternative housing.

According to the group, no alternative accommodation had been arranged before the court issued its measure. It said the residents live in poor huts without water, sewage or electricity, and that poverty and a lack of other housing options had left them in those conditions.

“The obligations of the state, under the Housing and Building Maintenance Act and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, include providing alternative accommodation for people who have no other home,” the initiative said. It argued that the residents would have been left on the street if the eviction had gone ahead as originally planned.

A11 said the case reflects a wider problem of discrimination against Roma people in Serbia and criticized the lack of concrete results from state policies intended to improve housing conditions. The group expects city and municipal authorities to provide an alternative housing solution in the coming days. It also said residents had repeatedly tried to contact officials but received no understanding from the authorities.

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The obligations of the state, under the Housing and Building Maintenance Act and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, include providing alternative accommodation for people who have no other home.