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Steel wagon homes for the community of Assanova
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Bulgaria
Housing Rights of Roma in Bulgaria
Large numbers of Romani reside in informal settlements and therefore live in a state of permanent high insecurity as demonstrated by a number of recent forced evictions in Sofia. Housing is also of very poor quality compared to other groups in society and Roma frequently lack access to essential services and Roma continue to be excluded from many decisions about their housing. COHRE is currently working with the European Roma Rights Centre and local partners to monitor housing rights violations and support strategic litigation. |
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| COHRE and EOA Complaint to Human Rights Committee |
COHRE and EOA Complaint to the Human Rights Committee regarding forced eviction of Romani communities in Bourgas, Bulgaria
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| COHRE and EOA supplementary brief to the Human Rights Committee on Interim Measures and Admissibility |
COHRE and EOA supplementary brief to the Human Rights Committee on Interim Measures and Admissibility regarding the ongoing forced eviction of Romani communities in Bourgas, Bulgaria
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| COHRE Protest Letter: Bourgas Forced Evictions (Sept 2009) |
COHRE Protest Letter regarding forced eviction and housing demolition of 40 Romani households in Gorno Ezerovo district, Bourgas, Bulgaria and threatened forced eviction of others in Gorno Ezerovo as well as the Meden Rudnik community in Bourgas, Bulgaria.
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Case 1
Assanova mahala community – Fighting for dignity after eviction
A community previous living at Assanova mahala were effectively sentenced to poverty six years ago by an overnight demolition. With no notice they were evicted and local authorities subsequently sold the land to a shopping centre, Billa Hypermarkets. The families were then dumped out of Sofia, on the highway to Serbia, and housed in steel wagons. COHRE witnessed firsthand, the horrendous and cramped conditions that the 160 adults and children live in; no basic services were provided and only recently were four taps with cold water and a single electricity connection installed. Many of the community lost their jobs at the time of the eviction and now struggle to even access social security due to arbitrary and discriminatory conditions.
The Mayor of the sub-municipality has apparently twice sought to resettle the community but non-Roma residents blocked both attempts. One of the residents strikingly said to COHRE that ‘The Bulgarian flood victims were recently provided with support, but not us”. In a complaint filed 13 July 2006, the community alleges that the municipality has violated the anti-discrimination legislation and constitution and that the living conditions drastically fall short of Bulgaria’s Territory Law. International law is also cited as being violated, including the protections against cruel and degrading treatment and protection of the home in the European Convention on Human Rights.
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Case 2
Batelova vodenitza – Preventing the destruction of a community
Despite living in the Batelova vodenitza settlement for at least fifty years, 16 families have been issued with eviction notices by the Vuzrajdane sub-municipality of Sofia. The local authority claims that the residents have no right to live on the municipal property and gave the residents 14 days to lodge objections with the Regional Directorate on Control of Illegal Constructions. This directorate has the power to forbid the use of the buildings and cut off electricity and water supplies if they reject the objections of the community. The families who live there presently were either born there or married into the community, which is very stable with all adults employed. If evicted, they will not have any alternative housing and, consequently, are likely to be rendered homeless.
Since the families have not moved away during this period, they have grounds for claiming ownership on the basis of continued occupancy for more than 20 years, under the Municipality Property Act. In their objections, filed on 10 July 2006, they also claim that the threatened eviction violates anti-discrimination laws, noting that that the Municipality is only acting against the Roma inhabitants of illegally built constructions, and constitutional and international law, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
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Case 3
Fakulteta Roma – Transport for school children
Despite 35,000 people residing in the Fakulteta District, the Sofia Municipality has failed to provide any public transport through the area as it has done in other districts in Sofia. This has particularly affected school children, who cannot reach the integrated schools outside of the district. While the Municipality argues that the infrastructure of the district does not allow for the public transport to enter, it has provided buses when NGOs have paid for them. Since NGOs can no longer afford to do this, the community is insisting that they be treated like all another districts in Sofia and be provided with proper public transport for their children.
In the case filed 13 July 2006, it is alleged that Bulgarian anti-discrimination laws and constitution have been violated together with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Articles 2 and 28). The arguments will be supported by the obligation of the municipality to secure public transport under the Local Self-governance and Local Authorities Act and the Sofia Municipality Ordinance on the public transport. The case has been initiated against the Sofia Municipality and the Sofia municipality owned transport trade firm.
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| Reports to UN Committees |
COHRE and EOA Shadow Report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) 2009
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COHRE and ERRC alternative report to European Committee on Social Rights,December 2003
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| Protest Letters |
Letter to the President of Bulgaria, 29 June 2006
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Letter to President and Prime Minister of Bulgaria, 19 July 2006
(Dobri Jelyazkov community)
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Letter regarding Bourgas forced evictions, 10 September 2009
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| Media Releases |
International organisations call for halt to planned eviction wave in Bulgaria, 29 June 2006
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Rome communities in Bulgaria take housing rights violations to Court, 13 July 2006
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