RIYADH (Middle East Eye) – Saudi Arabian authorities have mishandled forced evictions and demolitions of residents in the port city of Jeddah, according to a new survey released by Saudi human rights organization ALQST.
Research by the UK-based group shows that the majority of questionnaire respondents affected by the demolitions were not given adequate notice ahead of the evictions and were not offered any compensation for their losses.
Between the end of 2021 and the start of 2022, Saudi authorities evicted hundreds of thousands of residents from their homes as part of a wider plan to develop Jeddah, according to the government.
The large-scale demolition program and ensuing displacement caused a housing crisis, with rental prices skyrocketing across the city. In some cases, rents doubled in a matter of days, residents said, and many were unable to afford them.
Residents told Middle East Eye in January that the demolitions took them by surprise and gave them little to no room to plan their relocation or say goodbye to the neighborhoods they have lived in for generations.
Some people were forced to lay out their furniture in the open, taking shelter under bridges, according to eyewitness accounts. One resident said some families had to sleep in their cars.
ALQST surveyed Jeddah residents who have been evicted or lost their homes because of demolitions. More than 91 percent of people surveyed have had their homes or commercial properties demolished as part of the development plan. While authorities claim that everyone was given notice, survey respondents paint a different picture.
Sixty percent of respondents had received a warning in advance, but many said the time between notification and demolition was extremely short.
And 37 percent had not received any notification at all, according to the ALQST survey. Others were forced out of their homes after utilities were cut and conditions became unlivable.
Saudi Arabia is not part of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, under which member states are bound to recognize the right of everyone to adequate housing.
ALQST called on the Saudi authorities to “respect people’s rights to adequate housing” and to “carry out a prompt and transparent inquiry into the mass evictions that have taken place”.