Yesterday, Tuesday 4th of May, the inhabitants of Zerzara (Port Said governorate), which is an informal area, surprised by a huge police force that accompanied by bulldozers. The police force evacuated and demolished 15 poor homes, built of bricks and woods, without any prior notification, compensation or alternative housing.

The inhabitants did not have the time to move their belongings including their furniture and when a man and his wife tried to protest the eviction, they had been beaten by the soldiers accompanying the force.

This news came yesterday from Port Said branch of the Egyptian Center for Housing Rights. The branch`s lawyers rushed to the area immediately after their knowledge of the matter, in an attempt to persuade deputy director of the security not to implement the demolition process because of its illegality, as the inhabitant did not receive a prior notification and as a result they did not have the chance to appeal to the demolition decision.

This comes as contrary to the president`s Mubarak election program of the Republic 2005, which included the codification of the conditions of the population of informal areas, and a violation of the right to adequate housing, which had been enshrined in many of international instruments that comes on top of which the UN Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 1966 (Article 11), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 (Article 25), UN General Comment No. 4 (1991) and No. 7 (1997). Since Egypt is a party to these international contracts, such contracts are integral part of the domestic law, according to article 151 of the Egyptian Constitution.

After the Egyptian Center for Housing Rights (Cairo office) knowledge of this news, the lawyers immediately filed a complaint to the General Persecutor request to stop the demolition process, open investigation on the matter, and empower the inhabitants of the land. The General Persecutor immediately sent the complaint by fax to the Attorney-General in Port Said for investigation. The lawyers from Port Said branch will follow the complaint procedures with the attorney- General and will also hold a meeting with the victims.