Violations of property rights is common

 Taking  lands for state  use shall be conducted within the law, noted the participants of the conference: "The forced evictions in Azerbaijan: the legal situation and the international standards." The participants expressed concern about the massive violations of human rights at taking their property.

Chairman of the NGO "Education for Human Rights" Irada Javadova,  the organizer of the event as part of a project,  supported by the British Embassy in Azerbaijan, said that there are shortcomings in the law, and it is used by officials and representatives of the State Oil Company, and other monopolists  are creative and assertive when  the talk is about  taking  property.

She mentioned examples of evictions  people from areas of industrial sites "Surakhani oil", "oil Binagadi" NZS plant, and others.

The entrepreneur Adil Suleymanov, for example, has all the documents, including the permission to build houses, development plan, approved by the architecture of local authorities and the deed. However, he was evicted on the pretext that the papers are overdue. How can  the  document issued by a public authority  be expired, asks  the lawyer.

Another example of lawlessness: a representative of the oil company, seeing that all the documents are in order,  told the homeowner, that, according to satellite images it is clear that  the land belongs not to him, but to the state.

There are a lot of such absurdities, especially near waterways, railways, power lines and other facilities  where  constructions are not allowed. For example, every time when chief executive in Mingachevir  changes, the owners of profitable sites on the banks of the Kura notify the upcoming destruction of their facilities.

According to the lawyer  Sarvar Suleymanli, Azerbaijan has a broad and reliable legal framework, protecting the rights of property owners, but the courts are afraid of state monopolies and make decisions in their favor. The government, he said, always  supports social justice and would not mind to pay fair compensation, but local officials want to "warm hands" on land acquisition projects in favor of  the state.

According to participants,  broad education programs, training of officials and television projects for the elimination of legal illiteracy are required.  It is also important to fill the gaps in the law to prevent officials from illegal activities. --17D—