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AIZ campaigns against forced evictions in Harare
Amnesty International Zimbabwe
August 17, 2009

Amnesty International Zimbabwe together with Stakeholders started a campaign against the pending forced evictions in Harare, targeting informal settlers in Gunhill and informal traders around the Newlands area. An estimated 200 people from informal settlement in Gunhill and thousands of informal traders across Harare face being forcibly evicted without being given adequate notice, consultation or due process.

The campaign entitled, "Human Rights Live Here: Stop Mass Evictions in Harare, is being carried out by AI Zimbabwe, Combined Harare Residents Associations ZCTU, Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations, Housing People of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights the informal settlers of Gunhill and the informal traders of Newlands.

Forced eviction is the permanent or temporary removal against the will of individuals, families and communities from their homes or from lands that they occupy, without provisions of, or access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection. Amnesty International is not against evictions per se, rather AI is opposed to mass forced evictions which are carried out with total disregard of international law. AIZ believes for an eviction to be lawful, international human rights law should be adhered to, which includes among others adequate notice, consultation, due process and assurance of alternative accommodation.

AI has started lobbying relevant government authorities who include the Ministers of Local Government and Housing, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the City of Harare, the relevant parliamentarians and councilors of the affected areas. AI has also identified the cities Harare is twinned with, that are Nottingham in the UK, Cincinnati in the US, Munich in Germany and Prato and Lago in Italy. Actions have been sent to AI members in those cities and the local authorities asking them to mobilize their members in support of the affected communities.

The coalition of civil society organizations in Zimbabwe and the right holders met the Mayor of Harare on the 5th of August 2009.

The coalition calls on the City of Harare to give adequate and reasonable notice to the affected people. AIZ also calls on the Harare City Council to take appropriate measures to ensure adequate alternative housing, resettlement or access to productive lands so that no-one is rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights.

Visit the Amnesty International Zimbabwe fact sheet

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