Organization of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev deprived of premises

Baku/14.01.23/Turan: The Institute of Public Policy, headed by public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, and two more non-governmental organizations are forced to leave a jointly rented office.

Thus, the Institute of Public Policy, the human rights organization "Line of Defense" and the Center for Legal Initiatives were asked to urgently leave the premises they jointly rented in the Caspian Plaza business center.

This was announced to Turan by Zaur Akper, co-founder of the Defense Line.

“The management of Caspian Plaza demanded that we leave the office in a hurry. We were given to understand that our continued presence here could create problems for them. But we do not blame this organization. All this is the result of the repressive policy of the authorities, when not only critics of the authorities, but also the business community are under pressure. The management of Caspian Plaza has been pressured before to evict our organizations. After the arrest of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, this pressure intensified. So that the business center would not have problems, we decided to vacate the premises,” Akper said.

He noted that the Caspian Platforum also operated in this building on Hajiyev's initiative.

“It was one of the few venues for events, debates, press conferences of civil society representatives, experts, public and political figures. Thus, not only Hajiyev himself, but also the entire independent civil society became a victim of the repressive policy of the authorities,” Akper said.

Caspian Plaza representatives were not available for comment.—03B06-