What conclusions can be drawn from what the President said about Seyudlu?

Baku/07.12.23/Turan: President Ilham Aliyev commented on the events in the village of Seyudlu of the Gedabey region at an expanded meeting of the government on the socio-economic results of the first half of 2023. The President criticized the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources for negligent attitude to the pollution of the environment of Azerbaijan by a foreign investor.

He considered the demands of the residents of the village of Seyudlu of the Gedabey region regarding the pollution of the environment by the gold mine to be justified. However, at the same time, the head of state justified the actions of the police who prevented the protest action.

The President's statements in connection with the events in the village of Seyudlu at an expanded meeting are commented on in the program "Difficult Question" by

Mirvari Gahramanli, human rights activist, chairman of the Public Association Protection of the Rights of Oil Workers,  commented on the President's statements at an expanded meeting in connection with the events in the village of Seyudlu, in the “Difficult Question” program.

According to her, the problem  in the village of Seyudlu concerns the entire mining industry and is not new.

"Since 2010, we have been working in Gedabey, and in 2012, together with “Radio Azadlig” (Liberty) , we investigated. In that year, the lands transferred by municipalities to the use of the population began to be returned to state control. Justice was violated. At the same time, a leak of sodium cyanide occurred at the landfill of the enterprise. We met with representatives of the company. But, then there was still control from society. Is there any control of society now?",  the human rights activist said.

In her opinion, accusations against elderly women, residents of Seyudlu are unacceptable. "In the absence of state control over the activities of the gold mining enterprise, they carried out civil control, held an action. Every citizen has the right to hold a protest action," Gahramanli said, adding that from the very first day she believed that these people were absolutely right, since the activities of the mine harms not only the health of the residents of Seyudlu, Gedabey, the nature of the region, but also all surrounding regions.

Mirvari Gahramanli also pointed out that activity of non-governmental organizations is needed to prevent such processes.

Referring to the control that the state should exercise, Gahramanli said that although belatedly, the president had to solve this problem. At the same time, she noted that Aliyev criticized the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, but there is also a Labor Inspectorate, which, according to Article 15 of the Labor Code, is a body exercising state control over compliance with labor legislation.

"It should monitor how the employer ensures the health and safety of employees, organize control over healthy and safe working conditions, dangerous and harmful production factors, regularly and timely inform employees about changes in this area. But the Labor Inspectorate has never come to Seyudlu, has not checked the condition of the workers. It is clear that those who work at the mine will not hold actions, they will be silent, because they understand that they will be out of work," the human rights activist said.