Forced evictions in Baku

Since 2008, the government of Azerbaijan has been implementing a program of forced evictions in the capital city of Baku, confiscating and subsequently demolishing privately owned properties to make room for the development of modernized infrastructure. The evictions were first ordered by the city's municipal government as part of a massive reconstruction effort aimed at increasing the appeal of the downtown metropolis. From 2011 onward, the number of housing complexes being forcibly vacated has increased substantially.

Numerous development projects have begun in the aftermath of the housing demolitions, including new parking lots, several boutique stores, boulevards, skyscrapers, a shopping center, luxury housing, and a Formula One race track. There are also plans to build a 1,050 m (3,444 ft) housing complex, which would make it the world's tallest man-made structure upon completion.

Baku city officials have stated that the compensation being offered to residents is fair, while human rights groups argue that residents have been pressured to leave without adequate compensation to buy similar dwellings elsewhere. Independent observers estimate that several thousand people have been displaced as a result of the forced evictions.

Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union following its dissolution in 1991. Despite severe infrastructural damage resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh War and the post-Soviet transition phase, the country has managed to develop a robust and stable economy through revenues from petroleum exports. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (abbreviated as "SOCAR") is the 68th largest organization in the world, valued at roughly $20 billion USD. Azerbaijan ranks 7th in the world on an aggregate list of countries by proven natural gas reserves, as well as 19th on a similarly compiled list of nations by proven petroleum reserves. In recent times, Azerbaijan has made efforts to focus on greater cultural and economic integration with the West, notably through hosting the 57th annual Eurovision contest in 2012.

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