The non-governmental organisation Praxis informs the public that the City of Leskovac intends to cancel the alternative accommodation provided to the Roma evicted from the informal settlement Belvil. The four Roma families with eleven children that had been accommodated in the hostel Mimi in Leskovac since 26 April 2012, received yesterday from the Deputy Mayor a notification saying that the City Administration would cover the costs of their accommodation only until 31 July, after which they would have to find accommodation by themselves, and for that purpose they would be granted a one-off allowance in the amount of 20,000.00 dinars from the town budget, through the Social Welfare Centre.

The accommodation of Roma families in Leskovac was accompanied with numerous problems including the lack of accurate information about the number of families, as well as the obstacles in finding alternative accommodation during the eviction, since the Ministry of Defence withdrew its approval for accommodating the Roma from Belvil in the abandoned military barracks in Leskovac. According to the rough estimate, the City Administration of Leskovac has paid so far over 2 million dinars for accommodating four families with eleven children in the hostel during a three-month period. With the existence of a clear plan and coordination between the central and city authorities, that money could have been spent on finding a durable housing solution for the Roma relocated from Belgrade.

According to international human rights standards, the public authorities are obliged to find alternative accommodation and not the residents themselves who have suffered forced eviction. Therefore, we invite the competent central and city authorities to abandon their intention of cancelling tomorrow the payment of accommodation for the former residents of the informal settlement Belvil, and also to develop a plan of their permanent integration and provide them with an alternative accommodation in compliance with international human rights standards.

Download (Serbian only): Letter Sent by the Deputy Mayor of the City of Leskovac
Download (Serbian only): The Protector of Citizens’ Report on Eviction from the Informal Settlement Belvil