The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) of the United Nation Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner has expressed its concerned about the recent evictions and demolitions in the context of the construction work on the Tirana Ring Road.
The demolitions had failed to follow any of the procedures prescribed in the law, while it has turned out that one of the companied contracted by the government for this major construction project, Dunwel Haberman, did in fact not exist.
The CERD stated in its Concluding Observations from December 14:
The Committee is concerned at reports that many members of the Roma and Egyptian minorities have been affected by forced evictions in the context of major infrastructure projects. While welcoming several measures to ensure the right to housing, including the adoption of the Law No. 22/2018 on Social Housing, the Committee is concerned about the full application of the safeguards introduced by this new law in the current context of planned evictions in relation to the Tirana ring road project (art. 5).
The Committee emphasizes that forced evictions are extraordinary measures that should be resorted to only in conformity with the relevant legislation and should not be based on or result in discrimination against any particular vulnerable group in the society. The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to guarantee that evictions are carried out in accordance with international human rights standards, and provide remedies and adequate alternative housing to those affected in cases of eviction.
