Forced evictions in Baku

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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] From 2011 onward, 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 people have been displaced as a result of the forced evictions.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ Azerbaijan: Halt Illegal House Demolitions, Forced Evictions, Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2011, retrieved 4 August 2012
  2. ^ Amanda Erickson (10 August 2011), "Middle-Class Families Face Evictions in Azerbaijan", The New York Times, retrieved 5 August 2012
  3. ^ a b Damien McGuinness (22 December 2011). "'Evicted in Baku to make way for Eurovision'". The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ a b Hugh Williamson (25 June 2012), Azerbaijan: Letter to the Council of Europe Monitoring Committee, Human Rights Watch, retrieved 6 August 2012
  6. ^ a b Lada Evgrashina and Margarita Antidze (11 April 2012). "Azerbaijan aims to put up world's tallest building". Reuters. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  7. ^ a b Evictions tarnish Azerbaijan’s Eurovision glitz, Al Arabiya, 1 February 2012, retrieved 6 August 2012
  8. ^ Azerbaijan: Stop Forced Evictions and Demolitions, Nobel Women's Initiative, 30 August 2011, retrieved 6 August 2012
  9. ^ Jerome Taylor, Richard Hall (19 March 2012), "Eurovision: light entertainment in a dark place", The Independent, retrieved 6 August 2012