In Baku, tenants of another block of flats evicted

On June 11, the many-month-long confrontation between the construction company "Azinko" and the tenants of No. 61 in Neftyanikov Avenue in central Baku ended in a forced eviction and demolition of the building. The demolition was motivated by the improvement and expansion of the motor road.

On that day, the entrance into the yard of the two-storey building was blocked by a truck and law enforcers. Journalists were not allowed to approach the building, because, according to policemen, it was "in the emergency condition ready to collapse at any moment."

The tenants were explained that the house was to be demolished back in late 2010. According to the tenants, they were not offered any adequate compensation for their apartments: city authorities promised to provide them with housing facilities in the outskirts or with monetary compensation at a rate of 1500 manats (1800 US dollars) per square meter, although apartments in this area of Baku is 2-2.5 times more expensive.

According to Narmina Guseinova, one of the residents of the house, her family was offered – in exchange for 200 square meters of living space in the centre of Baku – a total of 100 square meters in the outskirts of the city. The tenants' complaints to various instances gave no effect.

There were 12 families inhabiting the house. Five of them moved away; then, four families were evicted by force; and on June 11 the remaining three families were evicted by force, the tenants said.

In his turn, Rufat Akhmedov, an employee of the industrial-engineering division of the "Azinko" construction company, said that the demolition of the building was quite legitimate.