The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) will send an international committee to hold investigations into the Lapindo corporation and its responsibility for the Sidoarjo mud-flow disaster following its nomination for the 2008 Housing Rights Violator Awards.

Lapindo and its controlling entity Bakrie Groups have been nominated for causing the destruction of 11 villages and over 13,000 houses in Sidoarjo, destroying the homes of 50,000 people. Lapindo has been charged with a breach of Article 11 (1) of the ICESCR (International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) which provides for the right adequate standard of living including the right to housing.

The investigation into Lapindo is set to commence next month and the winner of the award will be announced later this year.  COHRE takes into account the following criteria in deciding recipients for the annual Housing Rights Violator Awards:

• A marked deterioration in the housing rights situation directly attributable to actions or omissions for which the nominee is responsible
• A clear failure to implement national or international housing rights obligations
• A clear failure of the nominee to devote the maximum of available resources towards the full realization of housing rights
• A marked increase in the prevalence of housing rights violations, whether in terms of specific events or larger patterns of increasing neglect of housing rights obligations
• The effect of specific housing rights violations
• The degree of impunity with which housing rights violations have been committed
• The likelihood that the award will make a positive contribution to the enjoyment of housing rights in the country concerned
• The reliability and accuracy of available information

For more information on the awards see COHRE Housing Rights Awards Webpage.