As Brazil receives Olympic flag,
forced evictions taint the handover

Demonstrations are taking place in Brazil this week to call attention
to the human rights violations happening in Rio de Janeiro
as a result of the 2016 Olympics

London, 12 August 2012— Today, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Count Jacques Rogge will present the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Eduardo Paes, with the Olympic flag in a multi-million dollar ceremony in London. Meanwhile, thousands of Rio’s poorest residents are living in fear of losing their homes to forced evictions that are destroying their communities.

170,000 Brazilians are at risk of losing—or have already lost—their homes in forced evictions tied to preparations for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Forced evictions happen primarily in highly valued areas of cities, resulting in the expulsion of the poorest people to the outskirts, where there is neither adequate infrastructure nor access to basic public services.

Forced evictions in Rio violate existing legislation at the municipal, state, federal and international levels. The Brazilian Federal Constitution establishes housing as a basic right and Rio de Janeiro’s State Constitution and Municipal City Code establish that publicly owned lands should be destined to social interest housing. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which Brazil has ratified, also prohibits the government from carrying out forced evictions under international law.

“Hosting the Olympics should be a cause for celebration not fear,” says Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm, Executive Director of WITNESS. “Forced evictions undermine the mission and spirit of the games. We call on government officials to immediately put a stop to the practice of forced evictions.”

A local campaign against forced evictions, Rio Sem Remoções (Rio Without Evictions), has brought together leaders from affected communities, victims, academics, activists, thought leaders and the general public and is gaining momentum with leadership from the activist network Comitê Popular da Copa e Olimpíadas do Rio de Janeiro, which has been monitoring the negative impacts and human rights violations of the major sporting events, and support from the non-profit WITNESS, a global pioneer in the use of video to expose human rights. In partnership with groups like the Brazilian human rights network Plataforma Dhesca and Comitê Popular Rio, WITNESS has captured citizen footage of the evictions and developed a series of films called Voices of the Mission. The films feature first-hand testimonies of victims who were dragged out of their homes and forced to adapt to new lifestyles without adequate housing and/or access to clean water, food, schools and hospitals.

On Thursday, as part of the Rio Without Evictions campaign, residents and supporters of the Vila Autódromo community are presenting Mayor Paes with a newly finished community-developed counter-proposal to the government’s threat of forced eviction. The proposal calls for urbanization instead of eviction, and proves, with compelling evidence, that it is cost effective and better for the community to stay where it is. A demonstration outside of City Hall will be held in conjunction with the meeting. The community hopes this first meeting with the mayor will be the first step in a positive dialogue and negotiation that will save Vila Autódromo’s history and community.

Altair Guimarães, a resident and community leader of the eviction-threatened community Vila Autódromo, says: “Vila Autódromo’s counter-proposal to the government is the result of years of community unity and a long fight for our rights to stay in our homes.  Our proposal also illustrates how preserving the community is better for the city as a whole.”

Renato Cosentino, spokesperson for Comitê Popular Rio da Copa e das Olimpíadas, said: “The international community is not aware of the threat these evictions hold to some of Brazil’s most vulnerable citizens. We have been begging our Government to engage with us and listen. We are now asking the international community to join us in this plea.”

Media contacts:

For all media enquiries, including interview requests, contact:

• US: Priscila Neri, WITNESS: +1 646 403 0845; priscila@witness.org
• Brazil: Renato Cosentino, Comitê Popular Rio da Copa e das Olimpíadas: +55 21 8267-2760; renato@global.org.br
• UK: Dawn Rennie: +44 7794 401 2347; dawn.rennie@portland-communications.com

Further information:

Vila Autódromo community:

• http://blog.witness.org/2010/11/brazil-megaevents-and-forced-evictions/
• www.portalpopulardacopa.org.br
• http://www.portalpopulardacopa.org.br

Voices of the Mission films:

• http://blog.witness.org/2012/06/video-meet-elisangela-the-other-face-of-rio-de-janeiros-olympic-legacy/
• http://blog.witness.org/2011/06/new-videos-four-communities-on-forced-evictions-in-rio/

Comitê Popular da Copa e Olimpíadas do Rio de Janeiro:

• http://rio.portalpopulardacopa.org.br/

Articulação Nacional dos Comitês Populares da Copa:

• http://www.portalpopulardacopa.org.br/

About WITNESS

WITNESS is the global pioneer in the use of video to expose human rights abuses. We empower people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change. Founded in 1992, WITNESS has partnered with more than 300 human rights groups in over 80 countries, trained over 3,000 human rights defenders, developed widely-used training materials and tools, and increased the visibility and impact of over 100 campaigns by supporting the inclusion of video. The global forced evictions campaign.

About “Rio Sem Remoções" (Rio Without Evictions)

Violations of the human right to housing committed by the local authorities in Rio de Janeiro through the practice of forced evictions are not isolated cases - an estimated 30,000 people have been or will be forcibly removed from their homes in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics. These forced evictions constitute a political reorganization of spaces the poor are allowed to occupy in the city of Rio de Janeiro, determined by real estate interests and business opportunities. A “Rio Without Evictions” mean a fairer city for all. Learn more http://www.portalpopulardacopa.org.br/vivaavila/

About Comitê Popular da Copa e Olimpíadas do Rio de Janeiro

The Comitê Popular da Copa e Olimpíadas do Rio de Janeiro (People's Committee for the World Cup and Olympics in Rio de Janeiro) brings together social movements, civil society organizations, community representatives, academics and citizens critical of the way resources are being managed and how urban changes are being made to make way for the World Cup and Olympic Games in the city. The People's Committee of Rio de Janeiro integrates the National Coalition of Popular Committees (ANCOP - Articulação Nacional dos Comitês da Copa), which is formed by the Popular Committees in the 12 World Cup host cities: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo.

Available for Interview:

To speak about the Vila Autódromo community's proposal to local authorities:

• Giselle Tanaka is from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, which partnered with the Vila Autódromo community to develop the proposal - English, Portuguese, Spanish
• Carlos Vainer is from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, which partnered with the Vila Autódromo community to develop the proposal - French, Spanish, Portuguese

Representatives and community leaders from Vila Autódromo:

• Inalva Mendes is a resident, activist - Portuguese, French, Spanish
• Altair Guimarães is a resident, activist, and will be attending the meeting with the mayor - Portuguese

Experts/Activists that can speak about the broader picture of human rights violations tied to the Games:

• Chris Gaffney is an American professor currently living and teaching in Rio at the Federal Fluminense University in Rio de Janeiro - English, Portuguese, Spanish
• Renato Cosentino works with Comitê Popular Rio da Copa e Olimpíadas - English, Portuguese, Spanish
• Andressa Caldas is the Executive Director at leading Brazilian human rights NGO Justiça Global - English, Portuguese, Spanish