Megaeventos

Once Unsafe, Rio’s Shantytowns See Rapid Gentrification

Published in Friday June 7th, 2013 In In the media

(Português) The locals are being priced out of the market. Rents have gone up, and those who can’t afford to pay are leaving the neighborhood to other, more dangerous favelas. The residents are not being allowed to enjoy the new security. All the new restaurants and hotels are for the foreigners — not for the locals. Hear the story here.

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Public Domain

Published in Tuesday May 28th, 2013

Vidigal, Vila Autódromo, Providência, the port region of Rio and the surroundings of the Maracanã stadium have been recognized as some of the most affected by real estate speculation, a phenomenon in which housing prices are increasing due to preparation for the major world events to be hosted in Rio. As a result of the rising prices, Rio residents, primarily the poorest residents are being forced to move to distant suburbs that lack infrastructure and services and are dominated by heavily armed militia.

NGOs address sports-megaevents and human rights at the UN

Published in Monday March 4th, 2013

Conectas, in partnership with other organizations, spoke at the UN Human Rights Council about sports mega-events in Brazil and their impacts on human rights.

Rio’s Red Card

Published in Thursday February 14th, 2013

Should one sporting event mean losing your home? In one small but valuable corner of Rio the answer is a very loud: No. “Without a home you have nothing. And Vila Autódromo is my home, my life is here. If they take my home, they take my identity, my past.”

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Balance of the Special Rapporteur’s work in 2012 – Newsletter #30

Published in Friday January 18th, 2013

The Rapporteur begins 2013 at a fast pace: on March 4th, rapporteur Raquel Rolnik will present to the UN Human Rights Council her reports on Israel and Rwanda missions, which took place last year, and also on the official visit to the World Bank, undertaken in 2010. At the time, the rapporteur will also present a preliminary version of the thematic report on security of tenure.

Indigenous Squatters Resist Eviction in Brazil

Published in Monday January 14th, 2013 In In the media

Police in riot gear surrounded a settlement of indigenous people next to Rio de Janeiro’s storied Maracana stadium on Saturday, preparing to evict them as soon as an expected court order arrived. The site commander, police Lt. Alex Melo, explained officers were “waiting for the order, and understand it can come at any time.” But the order still had not arrived after a tense, daylong standoff.

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New leaflet on the right to housing in the context of sports megaevents

Published in Thursday November 29th, 2012

The UN Special Rappporteur issued a new material about right to housing in the context of sports megaevents. For now, the leaftlet is only available in Portuguese, but will be available in English and Spanish soon.

Bulldozers clear the way in Russia’s Olympics showcase

Published in Tuesday November 6th, 2012 In In the media

November 05, 2012 The workers arrived at Sergei Khlystov’s gate on a Friday evening to bulldoze his home and clear a path for sewage pipes to the Olympic village being built in the Russian city of Sochi. Khlystov and his 33-year-old son-in-law, Maxim Samokhval, at first tried to block the bulldozers but then stood aside and […]

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Construction and Forced Evictions Mark Olympic Showcase in Russia

Published in Monday November 5th, 2012 In In the media

Hotels, sports facilities and general improvements are under construction in the city, and work is going on in the mountains above Sochi where other events will be held. This means upheaval for some residents. The cost of resettling 1,500 families in the path of the bulldozers has been borne by the government of the relatively wealthy Krasnodar region in which Sochi lies.

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Russia: Halt Forced Eviction for Olympics Road

Published in Wednesday October 24th, 2012 In Social movement news

Human Rights Watch adresses the Russian authorities to stop the impending forced eviction of a Sochi family to make way for road construction ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said today. They also claim that International Olympic Committee (IOC) should urgently review the case and insist that the Russian authorities provide the family with fair compensation.

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