The International Tribunal on Evictions (ITE) is made up of representatives of civil society. It is a communication tool for the Zero Evictions Campaign, promoted by the International Alliance of Inhabitants, which is based on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international legal instruments linked to the fulfilment of the right to housing and land. The goal of the 7th ITE Session is to present cases of violation of the right to housing and land that take place in the various regions of Brazil to a jury of people qualified in this area at a national and international level. It will take place in Salvador. For this reason, we have not only invited the victims, but also the institutions responsible for the evictions. The Jury will give its verdict and make recommendations to the countries and their respective economic and institutional actors, who are responsible for the evictions. It will also advise the popular and civil organisations, helping them to ensure that the authorities fulfil their demands.

The Jury will include: Ângela Gordilho, Cesare Ottolini (Italy), Charlene Egidio, Lucia Moraes, Luiza Lins Veloso, Rob Robinson (USA) and Nivia Monica Silvia

In the trial, the evictions in Brazil represent the tip of the iceberg

Evictions currently threaten between 60 and 70 million people worldwide. Brazil is internationally regarded as one of the most serious violators of the right to housing. In this country alone, the housing deficit exceeds six million houses. The 7th Session of the ITE is therefore of great significance. It helps bring greater visibility to both the violations, and the proposals and efforts that are being made to counteract them locally, nationally and internationally.

Another objective of the Tribunal is that of highlighting the criminalisation, threats and violence perpetrated against human rights defenders. The testimonies given by the civil society actors who were invited seek to feed the debate on the right to housing and to construct solidarity links to address the situation and have a greater impact on public policies. In the next stage, all published cases will be sent to assist the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing.

In total, 34 cases from across Brazil were presented for the ITE 2018. They are shocking due to the alarming number of people who have been evicted or who are facing eviction: a total of 272,757, which is just the tip of the iceberg. Of these 34 cases, the five most representative cases were selected, and those from Salvador, where the session took place, were highlighted. In this difficult task, the Steering Committee decided to select cases that were spread out across the most diverse parts of the Brazilian territory and from different contexts, to represent the diversity of the country. The selection covers a range of topics that were brought by all of the cases presented: traditional communities, the homeless, both urban and rural-urban settlements, communities affected by large projects, the destruction of neighbourhoods caused by property speculation, as well as the criminalisation of human rights defenders.

The selected cases are:

Caso 180: Povo sem Medo (São Paulo-Sudeste)

Caso 147: Cidade das Luzes (Amazonas - Norte)

Caso 171: Canabrava-Buritizeiro (Minas Gerais - Sudeste)

Caso 192: População em situação de Rua (Paraná-Sul)

Caso 125: Quilombo Ilha dos Mercês (Pernambuco - Nordeste)

So that as many movements and communities as possible could participate, the following supplementary cases were also selected, in order:

Case 228, on the eviction of the Hugo Chavez encampment, in Marabá-Pará;

Case 94, on the Vista Alegre and Bela Vista settlements, in Passo Fundo-Rio Grande do Sul;

Case 145, on the evictions and criminalisation of settlements and activists of the Movement for Neighbourhoods, Towns and Favelas (MLB), in Belo Horizonte-Minas Gerais;

Case 214, on the Maria Aragão encampment, in the rural area of Maranhão;

Cases 157 and 102, on Jardim Nova Esperança, in São José dos Campos-São Paulo.

Special opening of the ITE Session in Salvador

With regard to the cases in Salvador, a Special Session will take place on the land itself. In this way, the following cases will be included: movements and communities from the historic centre of Salvador against the expulsion of the black community (Case 119), including the areas affected by Proyecto Revitalizar (Case 119), as well as Chácara Santo Antônio (Case 32), neighbourhoods that the ITE-2018 Committee will visit on Monday 12th March.

Case visibility and accompaniment

It is important to highlight that all the cases presented give relevant accounts of human rights violations and deserve to be seen and heard. Therefore, the fact that a case wasn’t selected does not mean that it should not be considered a violation perpetrated by the Brazilian State. For this reason, a space will be reserved on the night of Monday 12th for the presentation of cases that were submitted but not selected for the 7th Session.

In any event, everyone is invited to share their experience in the “First Forum of the People’s Territorial R-Existences” on 16/03/18 during the WSF, which will be attended by inhabitants’ organisations from Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Furthermore, all participants are invited to keep in touch with the ITE, as well as with the organisations and networks that support it. This will ensure we are have up-to-date information and that we consider how we can support your initiatives against violations of the right to housing.

Info: TIDBrasil2018@habitants.org