Rights groups urge Brazilian authorities to stop forced evictions ahead of Olympics

[News_Editor]

Rights groups urge Brazilian authorities to stop forced evictions ahead of Olympics

2011-11-15 17:59:31 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- Amnesty International and housing activists on Tuesday urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to call on Brazilian authorities to stop forcibly evicting hundreds of families across Rio de Janeiro amid preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Residents' groups, local housing activists and Amnesty International said that dozens of families have lost or are at risk of losing their homes in the city's low-income areas as the authorities build infrastructure for the event. Favelas and informal settlements around the city have already been affected over the past year and more are slated for future evictions by the authorities.

"Forcing families out of their homes without adequate notice, prior consultation with those affected and without offering adequate alternative housing or provision of legal remedies flies in the face of the very values the Olympics stand for, and violates Brazil's laws and international human rights commitments," the organizations said.

It added: "The Olympic organizers should use their influence to put an end to this practice now, before it's too late. The IOC must not be complicit with human rights abuses carried out in its name, and should publicly and unequivocally condemn all forced evictions in Rio de Janeiro."

Rio de Janeiro's officials maintain that no forced evictions have been conducted and that all families are being appropriately compensated before losing their homes. However, independent research by local NGOs showed that in the gravest cases, the authorities arrived in a community without prior notice and begun tearing down homes and businesses.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, demanded that the Brazilian government "stop the planned evictions until dialogue and negotiation can be ensured."

Rio de Janeiro authorities have been trying to secure the city ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the Olympic Games in 2016.

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