The lawyer of the ADC “Memorial,” working within the project “Legal help for Roma settlements in Russia,” had defended the Roma family, that was subjected to eviction, in the court in Kaliningrad. The district court found the administration’s actions to be illegal for attempting to evict a family with children without any alternative housing. This case is a rather rare example of when housing rights are protected and observed when people are resettled from the repair houses. Families with many children or people from vulnerable groups are not able to pay for other housing and suffer very often in such cases.
The workers of ADC “Memorial” learned about the threat of Platon K.’s family to be evicted this February. The Roma family complained about the administration’s threat to evict them from the house where they had been living with their children for many years. In July, the administration filed an appeal and asked to evict and unregister all members of the Roma family living in the house, without providing any alternative housing. In order to protect the housing rights of the applicants, ADC “Memorial” signed a contract with Ella Alekseyenkova, an attorney in the Kaliningrad region.
Arguing against the administration’s actions in the court, the lawyer emphasised that the decision about the eviction violated the current housing code and did not take into consideration the interests of a disabled child, who needs an additional living space. Agreeing with the lawyer’s arguments, the district court found the administration’s appeal baseless. Right now, the lawyer is preparing a new appeal for additional living space for the Roma family, which it has a legal right to.