CCPR/C/128/D/2568/2015 trucks that blasted the residents with water. They resorted to illegal arrests and brutality, causing multiple injuries to at least 23 residents, as documented, 10 including minor children. Twenty-four residents were illegally arrested, including minor children. Six minor children were released in the evening on 11 January 2012. However, according to the authors, the number of victims exceeds the number of documented cases. The demolition resumed after the arrests, on 11 January 2012, until the evening on 13 January 2012. 2.7 The demolition rendered 121 families homeless, forcing them to relocate to areas declared “danger zones” or to inadequate housing. 11 Moreover, the resettlement arrangements provided by the Government were “far inferior to the living conditions in Barangay Corazon de Jesus”, given that the residents were forced to relocate to danger zones. 12 The authors also suffered inadequate housing, lack of employment and lack of social services.13 They incurred additional expenses for transportation and other basic needs, such as the monthly rent to occupy a small piece of land. 14 At the time of submission of the initial communication, the authors stressed that more than 1,000 other families in Barangay Corazon de Jesus who were not evicted on 11 January 2012 were under imminent threat of eviction.15 2.8 To illustrate the systematic practice of forced evictions and their compounding effects, the authors also claim to have faced obstacles, such as arbitrary arrest,16 threats, harassment and violence, for seeking redress at the domestic level and for submitting the present communication to the Committee. 17 In an attempt to resist their forced evictions, in 2011, residents of Barangay Corazon de Jesus organized peaceful blockades to prevent the demolition of their homes. In that connection, 24 residents and supporters were illegally arrested and 86 people were injured by demolition teams and police officers, between 25 January 2011 and 11 January 2012, both preceding the forced eviction and during and after the confrontation in the context of resettlement. 18 Forced evictions have also been carried out in other locations and have included patterns of violence and disproportionate use of force. About 10 people have been killed in the Philippines as a result of the violent forced evictions in the Silverio Compound, San Dionisio, Paranaque and Pangarap Village, Caloocan (see para. 3.3 below). The violations of rights continued beyond the actual forced evictions in January 2012. On 29 November 2012, 10 community leaders from Barangay 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In an email dated 22 March 2014, the authors provided “photographic evidence of police brutality as well as documentation demonstrating harassment of human rights defenders and those evicted”. The documentation includes pictures of a wounded resident of Barangay Corazon de Jesus, people who are said to be members of the demolition team kicking residents and throwing stones, women crying and struggling with police officers, policemen with high-powered guns and others using teargas against the protesters. Families were accommodated in temporary shelters, given that no houses had been built in the relocation sites. In many cases, the sites to which they were relocated are exposed to severe flooding, imposing risks to the health and lives of the evictees. One of the allocated areas was Lupang Arenda, designated as a danger zone. Another unsuitable relocation site was Southville 1-K-1, Kasiglahan, Rodriguez, Rizal. Evictees who were relocated to Rodriguez, Rizal, allege that the remoteness of the area thoroughly limited their access to employment, facilities and social services, such as health care and education. Many parents had to withdraw their children from school. No further details are provided in the communication in that regard. The authors do not specify further what is meant by “other basic needs”. Demolition Watch, “Forced eviction incidents”. Available at http://demolitionwatch. wordpress.com/forced-eviction-and-demolition-incidents-and-affected-families-2010-2012. No further information is provided on the issue. In an email dated 22 March 2014, the authors provided a copy of two documents; in one, the Assistant Prosecutor accuses the author A.H. of direct assault in the form of throwing a weapon and a bottle at a police officer during the demolition operations, which resulted in physical injuries; and in the other, the Assistant Prosecutor accuses the author E.B. of direct assault in the form of “aiming a slingshot with a rock bullet in it, a weapon, and releasing the same at” police officers during the demolition operations. The authors refer to the following post on the Demolition Watch website: http://demolitionwatch.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/second-formal-complaint-of-corazon-de-jesusresidents-filed-to-the-united-nations-special-rapporteur-on-adequate-housing/. The post also indicates that the arrests were illegal, but no more details are provided about that issue. 4