Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

John Warmisham calls on the authorities in Vilnius and Tirana to stop evictions of Roma

08.02.2012, Strasbourg - With this wave of cold weather that has hitEurope, local and regional authorities havea particularresponsibility to protect their citizens, especially themost vulnerable, such as Roma, and to guarantee full respect of their fundamental rights.

As Rapporteurof the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ofthe Council of Europe, I draw theattention of the Lithuanianand Albanian authorities to the situation ofRoma familiesin Vilnius and Tirana and their planned or actual eviction from their informal settlements. These evictionswill leave these familiesand children in an intolerable situation, throwingthem onto thestreet in minus temperatures, thus putting theirlives at risk.

Such forced evictions are contrary to international human rights law, and Resolution 333 (2011) adopted by the 21^st session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, recalls the importance of avoiding “forced evictions, and arrange agreed alternative accommodation of appropriate standard wherever necessary;” The situation of these families in Vilnius and Tirana is worsened by the severe weather conditions.

I call upon the authorities concerned to mobilise efforts to find a humane and equitable outcome to this situation and, in particular, to suspend these evictions and to find alternative accommodation for these families.