URGENT ACTION

FAMILIES AT RISK OF FORCED EVICTION 
18 people residing in a sports facility temporary shelter since a flooding devastated their homes in April 2018 are at risk of forced eviction in Ituango, Colombia, after receiving a notice by police to leave before 6 May. Authorities are not offering any alternative shelter. 

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Sr. Hernán Álvarez Uribe
Mayor of the municipality of Ituango
Calle Berrio N° 19-08, Alcaldía Ituango 
Antioquia, Colombia
Email:  alcaldia@ituango-antioquia.gov.co 

Dear Mr. Hernán Álvarez Uribe
I am writing to you to express my deep concern regarding the announced eviction of 18 people currently residing in the Jaidukama municipal coliseum. They, who lost their homes in a flooding caused by the Hidroituango hydroelectric project in April 2018, do not have access to alternative shelter and if evicted would be unable to meet their basic needs. 

We call upon you to fulfill your human rights obligations and stop this eviction until you fulfill certain conditions. These include exploring alternative options to eviction in genuine consultation with the affected community, since evictions must be carried out only as a last resort. Your government also needs to provide adequate alternative housing to the people affected, before evicting them, since they are not able to provide for themselves. Due process requirements also need to be followed, including the provision of legal remedies, and access to legal aid where necessary. If all the above is not followed, this will be considered a forced eviction, which is a violation of human rights.  

Yours sincerely, 

Additional information

In April 2018 in Playas Guayacan, Sandinas and Mote (municipality of Ituango), there were two floods of the Cauca River, ravaging the homes of 23 families. Five days after the tragedy, 36 people were rescued and were received by the mayor of Ituango, who placed them in the coliseum of the town. One year later they have not received any type of reparation and access to psychosocial and educational care has also been denied.
On 27 April 2019, those remaining at the Coliseum were issued an eviction notice by Ituango’s Municipal Police. The notice requires the community to leave by Monday, 6 May 2019. In 2018 Amnesty International stated that the Colombian state must provide assistance to people affected by the Hidroituango project and that the authorities must ensure that the killings of the brave human rights defenders who denounced the environmental damages related to this project do not go unpunished.

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Spanish
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 13, 2019. 

NAME AND PREFFERED PRONOUN: Families survivors of 2018’s Hidroituango Floodings (They, them, theirs) 

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: n/a

Additional TARGETS

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. HIS EXCELLENCY MR ANTONIO JOSÉ ARDILA, Embassy of Colombia, 3 Hans Crescent SW1X 0LN, 020 7589 9177 / 020 7589 5037, Fax 020 7581 1829, elondres@cancilleria.gov.co, http://granbretana.embajada.gov.co, Salutation: Your Excellency Please check with your section before sending appeals after the above date.

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE

Main handle: @Alcaldiaituango 

Suggested messages: 

Families displaced after 2018’s HidroItuango floodings are about to be evicted from their current shelter .@Alcaldiaituango must respect their rights. No to forced eviction! 

Las familias desplazadas por las inundaciones de HidroItuango en 2018 están a punto de ser desalojadas de su refugio actual .@Alcaldiaituango debe respetar sus derechos. ¡No al desalojo forzoso!