Azerbaijan: by protests, internally displaced persons achieve restoration of benefits

Azerbaijani authorities have realized the error of their decision to pay allowances to internally displaced persons (IDPs) instead of providing them with utility benefits, the experts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", have stated in their comments on the President's decision to restore the benefits.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on January 23, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev signed a decree on the unified lumpsum monthly allowance to IDPs instead of payments benefits from the state budget for foodstuffs, utilities and other services.

According to Alesker Mamedli, an expert of the NGO "Civil Society Platform" (CSP) the abolition on January 23 of communal benefits "caused a wave of discontent among refugees."

"The establishment of the compensation of 36 manats instead of benefits didn’t even cover electricity bills," Mr Mamedli told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Mekhman Aliev, Director of the “Turan” News Agency, believes that "the authorities’ January decision to abolish communal benefits was wrong."

According to his story, the restoration of benefits "was the authorities' response to IDPs’ protests." "At the background of the overall socio-economic crisis, it would be dangerous to burden the vulnerable population with new unbearable costs," Mr Aliev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.