- Evict Them! In 5 Easy Steps A new animated video aims to make the human rights issues inherent in forced evictions more accessible.
- UN Experts Demand Stop to Forced Evictions in India Eight UN experts called for an immediate halt to the construction of a large steel plant in Eastern India which will forcibly evict as many as 22,000 people.
- As Brazil Marks One-Year Countdown to 2014 World Cup, Thousands Cope with Forced Evictions Thousands of Brazil’s residents struggle to rebuild their lives after being forcibly removed from their homes to prepare for the multi-billion dollar sports event.
- Land rights violations in India meet continued resistance In the dark hours of the night, police forcefully entered two Indian villages, in the name of "development". 6 people were seriously injured; 50 were arbitrarily detained; and 1 was arrested. Here's what we can do.
- Forced Evictions Activist To Be Honored by U.S. Secretary of State Clinton The Global Leadership Awards honor and celebrate women leaders around the world who are the unsung heroines working to strengthen democracy, increase economic opportunity, and protect human rights. The awards were established by the organization Vital Voices Global Partnership, which Secretary Clinton co-founded in 1997. Tep Vanny joins a very distinguished group of internationally recognized women. The award ceremony will take place in April 2013 in Washington, D.C.
- The Venerable Luon Sovath Wins Prestigious Martin Ennals Award I am incredibly honored to announce that the Venerable Luon Sovath from Cambodia has just been presented the Martin Ennals Award - an award given by 10 major human rights organizations to recognize those working at great risk for human rights.
- People Before Profit: New Video on Global Forced Evictions New video People Before Profit – bringing communities across the world together to tell the global story of forced evictions. WITNESS has supported forced evictions campaigns for more than 10 years. During this time, these projects have amplified the voices of communities across the world. For World Habitat Day we are bringing many of these voices together for the first time to tell another story.
- Cambodian Monk and Advocate for Human Rights is Detained, May Be Defrocked We have received word that the Venerable has been released and was not defrocked. More information soon. The fastest way to get updates on this developing situation is to follow me on Twitter: @WitnessRyan
- New Year Brings Broken Promises in Cambodia WITNESS partner LICADHO has been documenting with video forced evictions and land grabbing throughout Cambodia. LICADHO is also a part of WITNESS' global campaign on forced evictions.
- World Habitat Day Is About People: Their Struggles, Their Strategies As I shared in an earlier post, Global Networks Unite on Forced Evictions, WITNESS, our partner the Habitat International Coalition and 6 other networks working on housing and land rights have organized World Habitat Days - six weeks (16 September - 31 October) to bring attention and activism to forced evictions, land grabbing and activists at risk.
- Video Captures Police Destroying Homes, Beating Locals in Phnom Penh Riot police and security forces moved into the Boeung Kak area of Phnom Penh with batons and shields on Friday to forcibly evict families from their homes. In all eight homes were destroyed. Our partner in Cambodia, LICADHO, and LICADHO Canada, captured the attack on video, including the violent beating with a brick by police of a local activist. This video contains graphic and violent content.
- Global Networks and WITNESS Unite Against Forced Evictions Today marks the first day of a six week period of focus on housing issues around the world called World Habitat Days. Collectively representing hundreds of organizations and thousands of activists, WITNESS, our partner the Habitat International Coalition, and 5 housing and land rights networks have organized the World Habitat Days to draw global attention and actions to housing issues around the world - as part of our larger focus on forced evictions.
- Cambodian Government Attempts to Silence Work on Forced Evictions International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have written to 35 foreign ministries to review donor aid if the Government of Cambodia passes a law severely restricting the activities of NGOs in the country.
- Human Rights Watch Award Goes to Cambodian Monk Fighting Forced Evictions Human Rights Watch has awarded a prestigious Hellman/Hammett grant to the Venerable Loun Sovath for his human rights defender work supporting communities facing forced evictions and land-grabbing in Cambodia.
- Threats Increase Against Monk Fighting Forced Evictions in Cambodia Since 2009, our partner organization in Cambodia, LICADHO, has been using video to document forced evictions and land-grabbing. We met the Venerable Loun Sovath, a Buddhist monk, through our work with LICADHO. His tireless campaigning for those at risk of forced eviction in Cambodia, has repeatedly put him at risk.
