Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Decision adopted by the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, concerning communications No. 136/2019, No. 138/2019, No. 139/2019 and No. 142/2019 * , **

Communications submitted by:M.H.T. et al.M.R.G. et al.M.E.M.A. et al.T.C.C. et al.

Alleged victims:The authors

State party:Spain

Dates of communications:25 April 2019, 13 March 2019, 17 May 2019, 3 June 2019 (initial submissions)

Subject matter:Eviction of persons in a vulnerable situation

Substantive issue:Right to adequate housing

Article of the Covenant:11 (1)

1.The authors of the communications claim that the State party violated their rights under article 11 (1) of the Covenant by evicting them without ensuring that they had alternative housing.

2.The Committee, through its Working Group on Communications, registered the communications and requested the State party to take interim measures to suspend the eviction of the authors and their families pending the consideration of the communications or to provide them with adequate alternative housing, in genuine and effective consultation with them.

3.The State party submitted its observations on the communications, which were transmitted to the authors for comment. In the absence of a response from the authors, the secretariat sent reminders asking if they had lost interest in the communications. The secretariat received no response from the authors.

4.At its meeting on 16 February 2024, the Committee, having noted that the authors had failed to respond to repeated requests for comments on the State party’s observations on the communications and for confirmation of their interest in continuing the procedure, decided to discontinue consideration of the communications, in accordance with rule 18 of its rules of procedure under the Optional Protocol.