In Azerbaijan, Court dismisses claims filed by victims of flooding on Kura River

On July 5, in Azerbaijan, the Shirvan Administrative Economic Court considered the claims against the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), filed by 14 inhabitants of the Imishli District, who were affected by the flooding of 2010. All claims were dismissed. This was reported by Oktai Gyulalyev, the coordinator of the headquarters "Kura", protecting the rights of the victims.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported on the extensive flooding that occurred in Azerbaijan in May-June 2010. As a result of the increased level of the Kura and Araz Rivers, at least 50,000 hectares of farmland were flooded, 30,000 houses were damaged, and thousands of families lost their farms. Despite the taken comprehensive measures to eliminate the consequences of the disaster, local residents still have problems with compensation for damages.

At the Court, Oktai Gyulalyev, who represents the interests of the victims of the disaster, has filed a motion to conduct a forensic examination to re-assess the damage inflicted to houses by the flooding, since, according to his opinion, the MfE's examination was carried out "not objectively, and the cost of damage was underestimated". A representative of the MfE has opposed the examination.

As of July 5, the Shirvan Court has already completed the consideration of about 70 claims filed by the persons affected by the flooding, and most of them were dismissed.

About 50 claims are still under consideration. Besides, two of the victims have already filed complaints to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).