Demolition of IPD building in Baku causes international resonance

The demolition in Baku of the one-storey building at No. 38 Shamsi Badalbeyli Street, which housed the offices of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), headed by the well-known human rights defender Leila Yunus, aroused great international resonance.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that demolition of the building was accomplished on August 11 and was a complete surprise for rights defenders.
"The situation is complicated by the fact that the demolition was undertaken despite the decision of the Administrative-Economic Court to postpone demolition until the end of litigation... We'll monitor further developments in Azerbaijan in the light of eviction, expropriation and protection of ownership rights, which is an important element of the programme 'Eastern Partnership'," says the statement of the EU representative office in Azerbaijan.

The US Embassy in Azerbaijan has also expressed concern about the demolition of the IPD building, urged the Azerbaijani government to start dialogue with the affected citizens and stressed that the rule of law plays a major role in a free and progressive society.

The Press Secretary of the UN Office Rupert Colville said the bulldozers were sent to demolish the building by the Mayor of Baku without any prior notification of the NGOs located there. "We call on Azerbaijani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident," said Mr Colville.

"The authorities must immediately stop forced evictions and demolition of private property and pay the appropriate compensations to those whose houses had been demolished," said the statement of the Amnesty International.

"The authorities' actions reflect their attitude to their citizens. The NGOs located in the building had ensured crucial support to victims of government's abuse and women in crisis situations," said the statement of the Human Rights Watch.