Mr. Dan Jiranek Office of the Mayor namesti Starosty Pavla 44 27252 Kladno Czech Republic Re:
Retaliation against Marika Fučíková for exercising her right to a remedy
Mayor Jiranek, The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) is an international human rights non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland. COHRE has consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe and works to promote and protect the right to adequate housing for everyone, everywhere, including preventing or remedying forced evictions. COHRE is concerned about reports of retaliation against Ms. Marika Fučíková, a Roma resident of the municipality of Kladno. She brought a case before the Regional Courts in Prague because she was evicted and forced to relocate to inadequate and segregated housing known as “Masokombinát housing”, a former slaughter house. This housing is used for segregate Roma in violation of international human rights law, a case in which COHRE has intervened as amicus curiae. It has been reported that in retaliation for filing her case, Ms. Fučíková is at risk of losing current, albeit inadequate and segregated housing, as she has not been provided with a lease by the municipality. Furthermore, the provision of the lease was subject to the extraordinary measure of approval by the Town Council. As a result of not having her lease finalised, she has lost access to social benefits designated for housing expenditures and has fallen into debt. These actions seem in retaliation to her bringing a case before the Regional Courts in Prague. COHRE reminds the Municipality of Klando that as a State Party to the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the Czech
Republic and its governmental subdivisions are legally obligated to “condemn racial discrimination and undertake to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms.” ICERD also requires that racial segregation be condemned and to undertake to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of this nature as well as to “eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone … [to] the right to housing.” Finally, when the above-mentioned rights are alleged to be violated, international law including ICERD requires that the Czech Republic and its political sub-divisions “assure to everyone within their jurisdiction effective protection and remedies, through the competent national tribunals and other State institutions.” Sincerely,
Salih Booker Executive Director Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions Coordinator – ESC Rights Litigation Programme Salih@cohre.org www.cohre.org cc: Mr. Zdenek Slepicka Magistrat mesta Kladna namesti Starosty Pavla 44 27252 Kladno Czech Republic Zastupitelstvo Mesta namesti Starosty Pavla 44 27252 Kladno Czech Republic Rada Mesta namesti Starosty Pavla 44 27252 Kladno Czech Republic