Forced evictions in Baku: Difference between revisions
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{{main|Politics of Azerbaijan}} |
{{main|Politics of Azerbaijan}} |
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Azerbaijan gained independence from the [[Soviet Union]] following its [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution]] in 1991. Despite severe infrastructural damage resulting from the [[Nagorno-Karabakh War]] and the post-Soviet transition phase, the country has managed to develop a robust and stable [[Economy of Azerbaijan|economy]] through revenues from petroleum exports. The [[SOCAR|State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic]] (abbreviated as "SOCAR") is the 68th largest organization in the world, valued at roughly $20 billion [[United States dollar|USD]]. Azerbaijan ranks 7th in the world on an aggregate list of [[List of countries by natural gas proven reserves|countries by proven natural gas reserves]],<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2179rank.html Rank Order - Natural gas - proved reserves], accessed in August 2012</ref> as well as 19th on a similarly compiled list of [[List of countries by proven oil reserves|nations by proven petroleum reserves]].<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2178rank.html Rank Order - Oil - proved reserves], accessed in August 2012</ref> In recent times, Azerbaijan has made efforts to focus on greater cultural and economic integration with the West, notably through hosting the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2012|57th annual Eurovision contest]] in 2012. |
Azerbaijan gained independence from the [[Soviet Union]] following its [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution]] in 1991. Despite severe infrastructural damage resulting from the [[Nagorno-Karabakh War]] and the post-Soviet transition phase, the country has managed to develop a robust and stable [[Economy of Azerbaijan|economy]] through revenues from petroleum exports. The [[SOCAR|State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic]] (abbreviated as "SOCAR") is the 68th largest organization in the world, valued at roughly $20 billion [[United States dollar|USD]]. Azerbaijan ranks 7th in the world on an aggregate list of [[List of countries by natural gas proven reserves|countries by proven natural gas reserves]],<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2179rank.html Rank Order - Natural gas - proved reserves], accessed in August 2012</ref> as well as 19th on a similarly compiled list of [[List of countries by proven oil reserves|nations by proven petroleum reserves]].<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2178rank.html Rank Order - Oil - proved reserves], accessed in August 2012</ref> In recent times, Azerbaijan has made efforts to focus on greater cultural and economic integration with the West, notably through hosting the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2012|57th annual Eurovision contest]] in 2012. |
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Nevertheless, international observers have repeadedly criticized the Azerbaijani government for its [[Human rights in Azerbaijan|human rights record]].<ref>{{citation |
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| title = U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1995 - Azerbaijan |
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| date = 30 January 1996 |
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| url = http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,ANNUALREPORT,AZE,,3ae6aa32c,0.html |
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| accessdate = 4 August 2012 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{citation |
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| title = Amnesty International Report 2002 - Azerbaijan |
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| date = 28 May 2002 |
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| url = http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,ANNUALREPORT,AZE,,3cf4cfee4,0.html |
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| accessdate = 4 August 2012 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{citation |
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| publisher = Freedom House |
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| title = Freedom in the World — Azerbaijan (2007) |
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| date = 16 April 2007 |
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| url = http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,ANNUALREPORT,AZE,,473c55acf,0.html |
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| accessdate = 4 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> Among other concerns, authorities have been accused of [[Arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrary arrests]],<ref name="Third World Country">{{citation |
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| author = Samuel Blackstone |
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| title = What It's Like To Be A Political Prisoner For 17 Months In A Third World Country |
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| website = Business Insider |
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| date = 16 April 2007 |
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| url = http://www.businessinsider.com/azerbaijan-political-prisoner-adnan-hajizade-goes-to-reddit-2012-7 |
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| accessdate = 5 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> [[indefinite detention]]s,<ref name="Third World Country" /> [[Battery (crime)|severe beatings]],<ref name="Musicians" /> [[torture]],<ref name="Musicians">{{citation |
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| author = Shaun Walker |
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| work = The Independent |
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| title = Azerbaijan warms up for Eurovision by torturing musicians |
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| date = 22 March 2012 |
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| url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/azerbaijan-warms-up-for-eurovision-by-torturing-musicians-7580619.html |
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| accessdate = 5 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> and [[forced disappearance]]s.<ref>{{citation |
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| author = Shaun Walker |
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| work = The Independent |
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| title = Azerbaijan warms up for Eurovision by torturing musicians |
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| quote = During the year there were at least two reports of politically motivated kidnappings. On March 6 unknown assailants kidnapped opposition newspaper journalist Fikret Huseynli and on September 30 the father of Eynulla Fatullayev, founder of Azerbaijan's most widely read weekly newsmagazine. |
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| date = 6 March 2007 |
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| url = http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78801.htm |
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| accessdate = 5 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> Despite the existence of independent news outlets, journalists who criticize the government are often severely harassed, imprisoned, and even physically assaulted.<ref>{{citation |
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| publisher = Human Rights Watch |
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| title = Azerbaijan: Media Freedoms in Grave Danger |
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| quote = ...independent and opposition journalists in Azerbaijan are frequently subject to harassment, intimidation, and physical attacks. |
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| date = 3 May 2012 |
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| url = http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/03/azerbaijan-media-freedoms-grave-danger |
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| accessdate = 6 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> In the [[Press Freedom Index|2011-2012 Press Freedom Index]] published by [[Reporters Without Borders]] on 25 January 2012, Azerbaijan ranked 162nd out of a total 179 nations with an overall score of 87.25.<ref>{{citation |
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| publisher = [[Reporters Without Borders]] |
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| title = Press Freedom Index 2011/2012 |
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| date = 25 January 2012 |
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| url = http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html |
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| accessdate = 6 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> [[President of Azerbaijan|President]] [[Ilham Aliyev]], who inherited power from his late father [[Heydar Aliyev]], has often been criticized for failing to improve the situation of civil liberties for the Azerbaijani nation.<ref>{{citation |
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| publisher = Index on Censorship |
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| title = Azerbaijan anti-censorship petition goes to Houses of Parliament |
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| quote = ...free speech is not protected in Aliyev’s Azerbaijan. |
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| date = 4 July 2012 |
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| url = http://www.indexoncensorship.org/tag/president-ilham-aliyev/ |
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| accessdate = 5 August 2012 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{citation |
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| author = Shahin Abbasov |
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| title = Azerbaijan: WikiLeaks Cable Compares Ilham Aliyev to Movie Mafia Bosses |
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| quote = His domestic policies... particularly on the 2009 imprisonment of bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade... increasingly authoritarian and hostile to diversity of political views. |
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| website = EurasiaNet |
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| date = 2 December 2010 |
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| url = http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62487 |
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| accessdate = 5 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> Public demonstrations against the ruling regime are not tolerated, and authorities oftentimes use violence to disperse protests.<ref>{{citation |
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| author = Valerie J. Bunce, Sharon L. Wolchik |
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| title = "They Took Everything from Me" - Forced Evictions, Unlawful Expropriations, and House Demolitions in Azerbaijan’s Capital |
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| quote = Opposition leaders… abided by these restrictions when they organized peaceful protests outside of Baku shortly after the November 2005 elections, which drew 20,000 and later 30,000 people. However, participants in authorized demonstrations also suffered intimidation and, on occasion, beatings and detention, as on November 26, 2005, when Lala Shovket and Ali Karimli called on citizens at an approved time period. This demonstration was brutally repressed by the police, and numerous demonstrators were injured. |
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| publisher = Cambridge University Press; 1 edition |
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| date = 30 June 2011 |
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| pages = 184 |
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| url = http://books.google.com/?id=7KIY4MF6HaEC&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&dq=Azerbaijan#v=onepage&q=Azerbaijan&f=false |
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| isbn = 978-1107006850 |
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| accessdate = 7 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> Since the Aliyev family first took charge in 1993, Azerbaijan has not had a single election deemed "free and fair" by international observers.<ref>Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p357 ISBN 019924958</ref><ref>{{citation |
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| title = Free, Fair, & Regular Elections: Country Studies — Azerbaijan (under heading "''The Return to Dictatorship''") |
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| website = Democracy Web |
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| url = http://www.democracyweb.org/elections/azerbaijan.php |
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| accessdate = 6 August 2012 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |
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| agency = [[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] |
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| publisher = Google News |
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| title = Observers criticise Azerbaijan president's re-election |
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| date = 16 October 2008 |
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| http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTtRwp-FUvPLV8vIPjNa8hzUyX4w |
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| accessdate = 6 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> |
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[[Corruption]] is considered to be endemic in all areas of [[Politics of Azerbaijan|Azerbaijani politics]].<ref>{{citation |
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| publisher = Business Anti-Corruption Portal |
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| title = Azerbaijan Country Profile |
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| quote = It is widely recognised that corruption is deeply entrenched and institutionalised throughout Azerbaijani society and poses an obstacle to both social and economic development in the country. |
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| date = December 2010 |
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| url = http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/azerbaijan/ |
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| accessdate = 6 August 2012 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{citation |
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| author = Gregor Peter Schmitz |
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| work = [[Der Spiegel]] |
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| title = 'Boys and Their Toys' - The US Befriends Azerbaijan's Corrupt Elite |
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| quote = While a few Azerbaijani clans are getting richer and richer, thanks to all the dollars pouring into the country, the rest of the population is barely scraping by. Over 40 percent of the country's inhabitants are living in poverty; the average monthly income is just €24. As Lala Shevkat, the leader of the Liberal Party of Azerbaijan, says: 'Oil is our tragedy.' |
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| date = 13 December 2010 |
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| url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/boys-and-their-toys-the-us-befriends-azerbaijan-s-corrupt-elite-a-734307.html |
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| accessdate = 6 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> The ruling family has aroused suspicion from various independent media outlets for their vast wealth, as evidenced by the purchasing of extensive multi-million dollar properties in [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref>{{citation |
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| author = Andrew Higgins |
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| work = The Washington Post |
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| title = Pricey real estate deals in Dubai raise questions about Azerbaijan's president |
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| quote = In just two week... an 11-year-old boy from Azerbaijan became the owner of nine waterfront mansions... <nowiki>[valued at]</nowiki> about $44 million... the son of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev... <nowiki>[whose]</nowiki> annual salary as president is the equivalent of $228,000, far short of what is needed to buy even the smallest Palm property. |
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| date = 5 March 2010 |
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| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030405390.html |
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| accessdate = 5 August 2012 |
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}}</ref> |
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==Demolitions== |
==Demolitions== |
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Revision as of 11:49, 18 August 2012
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 Azerbaijan portal |
Since 2008, the government of Azerbaijan has been implementing a program of forced evictions in the capital city of Baku, confiscating and subsequently demolishing privately owned properties to make room for the development of modernized infrastructure. The evictions were first ordered by the city's municipal government as part of a massive reconstruction effort aimed at increasing the appeal of the downtown metropolis.[1] Since then, the number of housing complexes being forcibly vacated has increased substantially.[2]
Numerous development projects have begun in the aftermath of the housing demolitions, including new parking lots, several boutique stores,[3] boulevards,[3] skyscrapers,[4] a shopping center,[5] luxury housing,[5] and a Formula One race track.[6] There are also plans to build a 1,050 m (3,444 ft) housing complex, which would make it the world's tallest man-made structure upon completion.[6]
Baku city officials have stated that the compensation being offered to residents is fair, while human rights groups argue that residents have been pressured to leave without adequate compensation to buy similar dwellings elsewhere.[7] Independent observers estimate that several thousand Azeris have been displaced as a result of the forced evictions.[7][8][9]
Background
Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union following its dissolution in 1991. Despite severe infrastructural damage resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh War and the post-Soviet transition phase, the country has managed to develop a robust and stable economy through revenues from petroleum exports. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (abbreviated as "SOCAR") is the 68th largest organization in the world, valued at roughly $20 billion USD. Azerbaijan ranks 7th in the world on an aggregate list of countries by proven natural gas reserves,[10] as well as 19th on a similarly compiled list of nations by proven petroleum reserves.[11] In recent times, Azerbaijan has made efforts to focus on greater cultural and economic integration with the West, notably through hosting the 57th annual Eurovision contest in 2012.
Demolitions
According to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, authorities used various methods to expel people from their homes, including arbitrary arrests and detentions,[13] deprivation of basic necessities for occupants in targeted households,[14] intimidation,[15] and beginning the demolition process prior to the evacuation of inhabitants.[16] The report stated that authorities sometimes acted without any prior notice.[17]
Construction of new public facilities and attractions generally commenced shortly after demolition, with a new 25,000 square metre park nearing completion as of 1 August 2012.[18] The government offered to compensate the former residents of expropriated properties. HRW criticized the reimbursements as being inadequate for purchasing any new property in Baku.[19] Those who refused compensation were evicted and often became homeless.[20]
In the run-up to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, authorities evicted more residents to make room for the Baku Crystal Hall arena, where the event would subsequently be held. Zohrab Ismayil, who authored a report on forced evictions in Baku, said that 281 families were evicted to make room for construction, and that the government paid them compensation below the market rate on several occasions.[21][22] The government stated that the evictions had no relevance to the contest, but were part of a larger seven year reconstruction plan aimed at developing the downtown area of the city.[23]
Reactions
The evictions were condemned by several international human rights organizations, including Freedom House,[24] Human Rights Watch,[25] and Amnesty International.[26] As part of a resolution passed by the European Parliament on 24 May 2012, which condemned Azerbaijan's human rights abuses, the elected body also expressed alarm over the mass expulsion of civilians from their households for future development projects, including the Crystal Palace.[27] The evictions became a point of contention in Azerbaijan's successful bid to host the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.[28]
On two occasions, authorities were accused of retaliating against activists and journalists who publicized the evictions. On 11 August 2011, the office of Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus was bulldozed without warning, giving the occupants no time to salvage furniture or other personal belongings. All documents inside the building at the time of its demolition were destroyed. An Azeri MP denied that the demolition was connected with Yunus's activism. The European Union delegation to Baku stated that it "deplored" the destruction of her organization's office, describing her as "a regular partner of the international community".[29] The demolition came hours after The New York Times published an article detailing Yunus's advocacy against the forced evictions.[30] Later, on 18 April 2012, several Azeri journalists were severely beaten by SOCAR security forces, allegedly for covering the demolitions while they were in process.[31] This includes Idrak Abbasov, who was subsequently hospitalized in critical condition.[32]
See also
References
- ^ Azerbaijan: Halt Illegal House Demolitions, Forced Evictions, Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2011, retrieved 4 August 2012,
The Baku mayor's office began the expropriation campaign in 2009 (emphasis added) to build a 'garden-park complex' among other construction projects, as part of a 'reconstruction' program.
- ^ Amanda Erickson (10 August 2011), "Middle-Class Families Face Evictions in Azerbaijan", The New York Times, retrieved 5 August 2012
- ^ a b Damien McGuinness (22 December 2011). "'Evicted in Baku to make way for Eurovision'". The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 6 August 2012.
The centre of Baku has shaken off its dingy Soviet past and been transformed into a gleaming city, with smart designer boutiques and pristine boulevards.
- ^ "Real Estate & Construction: a Skyline is Born" (PDF). American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Azerbaijan. Spring 2010. p. 10. ISBN 1-56432-868-6. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
...hundreds if not thousands of residents have been evicted from their homes over recent years, homes that were then demolished and replaced with skyscrapers or removed for highway expansions.
- ^ a b Hugh Williamson (25 June 2012), Azerbaijan: Letter to the Council of Europe Monitoring Committee, Human Rights Watch, retrieved 6 August 2012,
...the authorities have illegally expropriated hundreds of properties, primarily apartments and homes in middle-class neighborhoods, to be demolished to make way for parks, roads, a shopping center, and luxury residential buildings.
- ^ a b Lada Evgrashina and Margarita Antidze (11 April 2012). "Azerbaijan aims to put up world's tallest building". Reuters. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
Tentatively named Azerbaijan Tower, the planned 1,050 metre structure will dwarf Dubai's Burj Khalifa to look over Baku's largest development project which is planned to include dozens of artifical islands and a Formula One race track.
- ^ a b Evictions tarnish Azerbaijan’s Eurovision glitz, Al Arabiya, 1 February 2012, retrieved 6 August 2012,
Campaigners estimate that thousands may have lost homes during the gentrification drive which also led to the controversial demolition last year of the offices of local rights advocates who were campaigning on behalf of those evicted.
- ^ Azerbaijan: Stop Forced Evictions and Demolitions, Nobel Women's Initiative, 30 August 2011, retrieved 6 August 2012,
Approximately 20,000 citizens have lost their homes.
- ^ Jerome Taylor, Richard Hall (19 March 2012), "Eurovision: light entertainment in a dark place", The Independent, retrieved 6 August 2012,
...for many citizens of this year's host country, Azerbaijan, the Eurovision Song Contest has brought misery as the government has forcibly evicted thousands from their homes in the run-up to the competition.
- ^ Rank Order - Natural gas - proved reserves, accessed in August 2012
- ^ Rank Order - Oil - proved reserves, accessed in August 2012
- ^ Shaun Walker (26 May 2012), "Protesters bundled away on eve of Eurovision", The Independent, retrieved 6 August 2012,
...hundreds of families have been turfed out of their homes to make way for construction, often with little compensation.
- ^ Azerbaijan: Halt Illegal House Demolitions, Forced Evictions, Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2011, retrieved 4 August 2012,
In November 2010, police forced eight residents out of their apartments, with some still in pajamas and slippers, and detained them in a police station for nine hours, while workers removed all personal items from the apartments. Bulldozers began demolishing the building later that day. When the residents went to a warehouse to collect their property, they found many of their possessions damaged or ruined, and jewelry or other valuables missing.
- ^ Jane Buchanan (29 February 2012), 'They Took Everything from Me' - Forced Evictions, Unlawful Expropriations, and House Demolitions in Azerbaijan's Capital (PDF), Human Rights Watch, p. 51, ISBN 1-56432-868-6, retrieved 4 August 2012,
In numerous cases, the authorities have begun dismantling buildings and have cut water, sewer, electricity, gas, and telephone lines while some homeowners, who have thus far refused to accept the government's compensation or resettlement offers, remain in their homes. These actions show a serious disregard for residents' health and safety and also appear to be an effort to forcibly evict the homeowners, by rendering the apartments uninhabitable.
- ^ Jane Buchanan (29 February 2012), 'They Took Everything from Me' - Forced Evictions, Unlawful Expropriations, and House Demolitions in Azerbaijan's Capital (PDF), Human Rights Watch, p. 56, ISBN 1-56432-868-6, retrieved 6 August 2012,
Ibrahim I., 55, who owned a home on Shamsi Badalbeili Street that he was ultimately forced to vacate in August 2011, also described to Human Rights Watch how the authorities steadily demolished the building in which his apartment was located, beginning in July 2011. After neighbors informed Ibrahim I. and his wife in February 2011 that their home would be demolished, Ibrahim I. visited the local resettlement commission, where officials from the Baku City Executive Authority and the State Committee on Property threatened him saying, 'If you don't get out, then we will topple this whole house on your head.' Ibrahim I. filed a lawsuit on July 10, 2011, to try to stop the impending demolition, and three days later officials arrived to tell him to vacate his apartment, yelling at him to 'Go, get your things and get out!' Ibrahim I.'s wife and daughter left to stay with relatives.
- ^ Jane Buchanan (29 February 2012). "'They Took Everything from Me' - Forced Evictions, Unlawful Expropriations, and House Demolitions in Azerbaijan's Capital" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. p. 36. ISBN 1-56432-868-6. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
Arzu Adigezalova, 41, a math teacher and a single mother of two children, ages 9 and 6, lived in a two-room apartment at 3 Elchin and Vugar Gajibabaeva Street which the authorities demolished in October 2011... "On [October] 29, I woke up because the building was shaking, and I heard something I thought was thunder. I took the kids and went outside. [I went up to] the official in charge and asked him to give us time to take our belongings out. He looked at me and said, 'Ok,' but then in the next moment said to the bulldozer driver, 'Knock it down!' I had to leave behind mattresses, linens, tables, the gas stove. We weren't expecting a bulldozer to come that day at all. That same official had promised us some money so that we could rent an apartment until I could find one to buy, but I got nothing."
- ^ Jane Buchanan (29 February 2012). ""They Took Everything from Me" - Forced Evictions, Unlawful Expropriations, and House Demolitions in Azerbaijan's Capital" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. p. 60. ISBN 1-56432-868-6. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Azerbaijani President inspects new park in Baku, Trend, 1 August 2012, retrieved 5 August 2012
- ^ Azerbaijan: Halt Illegal House Demolitions, Forced Evictions, Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2011, retrieved 4 August 2012,
Compensation in many cases is far below market value for property in central Baku. The price Kiazimov pays for all properties is based on the authorities' designated single price of 1,500 manat (US$1,900) per square meter, irrespective of a property's use, age, condition, or any other factors. Independent appraisals have valued properties in central Baku at 4,000 manat (US$ 5,065) per square meter or in some cases even more.
- ^ Azerbaijan: Halt Illegal House Demolitions, Forced Evictions, Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2011, retrieved 4 August 2012,
...those who have refused compensation or resettlement have been forcibly evicted and left homeless in many cases...
- ^ Shaun Walker (12 May 2012). "Singing in Azerbaijan – but not for democracy". The Independent. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ Judy Dempsey (27 April 2012), "Where a Glitzy Pop Contest Takes Priority Over Rights", The New York Times, retrieved 6 August 2012,
Many have been forcibly evicted to make way for the huge complex that juts out into the Caspian Sea. Those who sought redress in the courts have often had their cases dismissed. Campaigners supporting the evictees have been detained or imprisoned.
- ^ "Evictions in Azerbaijan 'similar to London Olympics'". BBC News. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
The Azeri regime said the evictions and demolition in Baku were unrelated to the Eurovision arena and were part of a longer term, seven year reconstruction plan for the area.
- ^ Freedom in the World 2012 - Azerbaijan, Freedom House, 18 June 2012, retrieved 5 August 2012,
As part of a citywide redevelopment project, the government evicted many Baku residents in the summer of 2011, forcibly removing and illegally demolishing the homes of those who refused to be resettled.
- ^ World Report 2012: Azerbaijan, Human Rights Watch, 22 January 2012, retrieved 6 August 2012,
Forced Evictions and Illegal Demolitions - Since 2009, citing city "beautification," the Baku mayor's office has evicted hundreds of residents—sometimes using force—and demolished their homes. Homeowners often receive compensation well below market value and have few options for legal recourse. Evictions were also used to harass human rights defenders. On August 11, violating a court injunction, the authorities demolished without warning a building owned by human rights defender Leyla Yunus that served as an office for Yunus's Institute for Peace and Democracy, the Azerbaijani Campaign to Ban Landmines, and the only women's crisis center in Baku. Yunus had repeatedly criticized the government's demolition campaign.
- ^ Amnesty International Annual Report 2012 - Azerbaijan, Amnesty International, 24 May 2012, retrieved 6 August 2012,
On 11 August the office of Leyla Yunus, director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, was destroyed, days after she had spoken against the government-endorsed forced evictions and the demolition of buildings in central Baku as part of a reconstruction project. The demolition began without any prior notice and despite a court order banning any demolition attempts on the property before 13 September 2011.
- ^ Human rights: Azerbaijan and return of North Korean refugees, European Parliament, 24 May 2012, retrieved 5 August 2012,
MEPs also criticize the expropriation of hundreds of properties and the forced eviction of thousands of people in the name of development projects, including those in the neighbourhood of Baku's Crystal Palace, the Eurovision Song Contest venue.
- ^ Tracy McVeigh (11 March 2012). "Human rights abuses spark demands to boycott Eurovision in Azerbaijan". The Observer. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
Human Rights Watch last month criticised forcible evictions of people from their homes, sometimes without warning or in the middle of the night, to make way for "city beautification" ahead of Eurovision, which will be staged late in May.
- ^ Ellen Barry (11 August 2011), "Offices of Activist Bulldozed in Azerbaijan", The New York Times, retrieved 6 August 2012
- ^ Amanda Erickson (10 August 2011), "Middle-Class Families Face Evictions in Azerbaijan", The New York Times, retrieved 6 August 2012
- ^ Several reporters assaulted, one hospitalized in Baku, Committee to Protect Journalists, 18 April 2012, retrieved 5 August 2012,
Around 11 local time this morning, security officers with the state oil company, SOCAR, attacked and beat five journalists who were covering demolition of houses in the Sulutepe suburb of Baku, Emin Huseynov, director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), told CPJ.
- ^ Miriam Elder (18 April 2012), "Azerbaijani journalist attacked by oil company security", The Guardian, retrieved 5 August 2012,
Idrak Abbasov... was left bloodied and bruised by the midday attack. Witnesses said security officers from the Socar oil company had singled out the journalist, who was covering a protest by local residents against the energy giant's demolition of their homes on the outskirts of the capital, Baku.