Ombudsman’s report for the year of 2011

23. In its report for 2011, Ombudsman expressed that one of the problems regarding apartmentsis that various citizens not even for the last 15 years, beginning from the midst of 20th centuryoccupied lands in Baku and outside of it and built illegal constructions. Another problem is suchbuildings that many people are settled are not privatized and not registered. The commissionerrecommended to privatize illegal and non-registered constructions in milk plants of Hovsan,Bina, Ramany, also Baku settlements of ‘Alatava’, ‘Zygh’, ‘Vorovski’, ‘Xutor’, ‘NZS’, ‘UPD’,‘Keshla’, and ‘Yasamal’, to consider registration of rights on those properties, and to speed upits solution.

24. The fact is that nowadays Azerbaijani citizens are being forced (with participation of localexecutive authorities, with bulldozers) to leave the apartments they live. People suffer a lot frominadequate and low compensation rates, also necessity to leave their houses leaving necessaryequipments inside.

25. Workers of SOCAR destroyed houses that belong to citizens by use of force and without anywarning in Sulutapa settlement, in Khojahasan district. Dozens of people were injured as aresult of this dispute. Any legal measure was not taken with regard to this event. For more:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdOg4RzaE4U

26. In accordance with the claim by ‘Azerneftyagh’ oil production plant, a body of SOCAR,

Khatai District court decided on destruction of house in settlement of NZS, Ilham MammadovStreet 168. As to the decision, houses have to be destructed by its owners, the are must beemptied, and owners need to pay 100 AZN fine to government. Ground for this decision wasidentified as oil pipeline of the plant are located in this area. Settler made local protests afterwarning on destruction of their houses and mass media highlighted this event.

27. Should be noted that people that were warned about destruction of their homes are not recentsettlers and they built their houses in the beginning of 90s, which is 20-22 years ago. Most of thesettlers were registered in their apartments by court decisions. Almost 30 families are internallydisplaced persons from occupied territories, the rest are from different regions of Azerbaijan.Now it is clear that anger is growing not only among the ones whose houses are destroyed, butalso other residents of the district. Because as the house destruction campaign is widened, noone’s property rights are guaranteed, and think they will be the next one. The generalatmosphere in this settlement of majority of laborers and poor’s, but settlers are willing to resistthe fact of danger on destruction of their houses and housing in streets without anycompensation.

28. EHR proposed recommendations to the government regarding forceful deportation of peoplethat live in settlement of NZS, Ilham Mammadov street, without provision with adequatehousing, stating that such a position does not comply with requirements of InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural rights and to solve these matters with respect toprinciples of international human rights, that the governmental institutions never paid attentionto this case.

Official numbers and concerns29. According to official numbers, more than 27,000 illegal constructions exist in mine areas ofSOCAR, belonging to both physical and legal persons.

Overall, several official institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan admit that over 500,000 illegalbuildings are located in and outside Baku. Mani among those are buildings that were built in thebeginning of 1900s, but were not legalized as a result of corruption and inefficient administrativeprocedures.

Education on Human Rights Public Association, Link

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