37 Romani Homes Demolished

What is affected

	Housing private
	Land Private

Type of violation

Forced eviction
Demolition/destruction
Dispossession/confiscation

Date

29 May 2006

Region

E [ Europe ]

Country

Russia

Location

Dorozhnoe, Kaliningrad1

Affected persons

	Total 200
	Men 0
	Women 0
	Children 100
	Roma

Proposed solution

Details

Development

Forced eviction

Costs

Demolition/destruction

Housing losses

- Number of homes

- Total value €

Duty holder(s) /responsible party(ies)

	State
	Local

Brief narrative

From May 29 to June 2, authorities bulldozed 37 houses belonging to more than 200 Roma, including over 100 children, in the village of Dorozhnoe, Kaliningrad Oblast, and set fire to the ruins. Over 100 of the displaced Roma were forced to live in tents and other temporary shelters and were threatened with physical expulsion from their land, while the others left or were expelled from the area. Regional authorities began their eviction campaign by initiating court proceedings to have the Romani families’ ownership of their homes declared illegal. According to observers, the proceedings violated fundamental standards of due process; on May 3, the court issued decisions rejecting the families’ claims. On November 3, the Open Society Institute’s Justice Initiative filed a request for interim measures with the ECHR on behalf of 33 of the evicted.

Costs

€ 0

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