More than 100 families will be faced with homelessness due to construction works planned within the “Belgrade Waterfront” Project. Preparation of the terrain for the “Belgrade Waterfront” Project demands removal of all facilities from the site and relocation of more than 130 families. Praxis received very worrying information from the families living at this site, which suggests that no alternative accommodation has been planned for more than 100 families.

Belgrade Land Development Public Agency, as the competent body, has been interviewing dozens of families who have the legal basis of housing, mainly reflected in granted facilities of the public company “Serbian Railroads” for use as an emergency accommodation. These families are now being offered other housing facilities, but only for use for 5 years, thus, again, calling into question their security of tenure. More than 100 remaining families have received decisions ordering them to remove the facilities in which they have been living for years, at very short notice, and they have not been offered any alternative accommodation. The complaints against the decisions do not delay the execution of decisions.

Such acting of the competent bodies represents a severe violation of the right to respect for private and family life, right to adequate housing and the right to an effective legal remedy. What is particularly worrying is that such acting occurs despite constant recommendations of the international treaty bodies and independent experts to legally regulate the procedure of forced evictions and ensure the exercise of the right to an effective legal remedy.
 
Therefore, we call on the competent authorities to immediately stop the practice of forced evictions which result in homelessness and to implement recommendations of international bodies and regulate the procedure in cases of forced evictions.

For more information, see the announcement: Announcement on the Relocation of the Families Living at the Belgrade Waterfront Site