UN urges Azerbaijan to ensure human rights workers' safety

[News_Editor]

UN urges Azerbaijan to ensure human rights workers' safety

2011-08-17 11:42:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday voiced concern and called on the government of Azerbaijan to ensure safe conditions for human rights defenders as several of them have suffered the destruction of property.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), property housing of several important non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Azerbaijan have been destroyed recently.

Among those destroyed last week were buildings in Baku housing the Institute of Peace and Democracy as well as the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Women's Crisis Center, which is the only women's shelter in the capital.

Despite a May ruling by a Baku court prohibiting the destruction of the building, bulldozers destroyed the Women's Crisis Center. Furthermore, city officials allegedly refused to allow the occupants to remove their belongings from the building, including valuable office equipment and files, before bulldozers carried out the demolition.

"Given the worrying reports of forced evictions and destruction of property in Baku, as well as of harassment of human rights defenders, we call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to thoroughly investigate this case and, if necessary, provide adequate compensation and restitution," said Rupert Colville, OHCHR's spokesperson in Geneva.

In addition, Colville also called on the Government of Azerbaijan to guarantee safe working conditions for the Institute for Peace and Democracy, as well as for other human rights defenders in Azerbaijan.

"The Government of Azerbaijan is obliged, by the international and regional treaties which it has ratified, to ensure respect for the right to adequate housing, for the prohibition of forced evictions and property rights, as well as for the rights and freedoms of human rights defenders," Colville stressed.

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