Rise in Forced Evictions in Slovakia Alarming

21 September 2007

On 19 September 2007, the European Roma Rights Centre (Budapest), Institute of Roma Public Policy (Bratislava), Milan Šimecka Foundation (Bratislava), and the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (Geneva) sent a letter of concern to the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Mr Róbert Fico, expressing concern about the recent increase in cases of forced eviction of Roma in Slovakia.

In the letter, the organisations underlined that many municipal governments in Slovakia have been evicting their socially dependent citizens instead of attempting to address their problems in effective ways. The letter affirms that the evictions, which may in fact amplify interethnic tensions, contradict local and/or international law.

The full text of the letter in a PDF format can be viewed at:

Persons wishing to express similar concerns are urged to contact:

Róbert Fico
Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic
Úrad vlády Slovenskej republiky
Námestie slobody 1
813 70 Bratislava
Slovak Republic
Fax: +421 2 5249 7595