Violence and a hunger strike as squatters in Almaty, the second-largest city of the former Soviet republic, battle to save their homes. The municipality wants the land, so the rumor goes, to turn it into a car racing track. So far, they have repulsed the police incursions and only a handful of homes have been destroyed. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting has the story.
"Because the [squatter-held] area does not technically exist in the eyes of the municipal authorities, there are no public utilities such as water, electricity and gas," IWPR notes. How typical: people are denied services on a technicality. As a squatter told the reporter, "Like all citizens of this republic we have equal rights to land." I would add: And equal rights to services, too.
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2 comments:
Hi there! recently discovered ur site/work. do you have any info on the Mexico City govt's crackdown on squatters (i think in july 2004) and their responses? Any info on Mexico City squatter rights groups? my email is vek_lewis@yahoo.com
ta! hi from melbourne, australia
Hi Vek:
Thanks for your post. I don't have any up to date info on the Mexico City situation, but I will look into it and post more as I find more. What's the buzz in Melbourne?
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