A group of public human rights and environmental organizations and public activists launched the campaign on protecting the historical-cultural heritage of Baku city. The campaign was caused by a serious concern for the numerous ongoing constructions by ruining the architectural buildings of historical and cultural importance to the country. The new buildings and city planning seriously harms the green parts of Baku too, as hundreds of old trees are cut off to make the pavement easier. (15-FEB-07)
Written by Shahla Ismailova/ HRH Baku on the basis of materials of “Islam, Demcoracy and Human Rights Center”, photos by Shahla Ismailova and Aytekin Imrnova.
The pride of Azerbaijanians, Old City, which is the among the world cultural heritage memorials of UNESCO, has to host more and more new buildings, completely spoiling the view and the style of the old historical memorials. Lots of old buildings in the ensemble were deconstructed as well for the favor of new modern types of hotels, high buildings and restaurants.
The similar cases were recorded in other parts of the city, predominantly in the first circle of Baku.
Campaign
The campaign was launched under the phrase “every citizen has to protect historical and cultural memorials of the country” from the Article 40 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan Republic. According to the above article on “cultural rights”, every citizen has a right to take part in the protection and care of the historical, cultural and moral heritage of the country and must respect them.
The campaigners claimed that their cultural rights were broken by the government which issued the permission for conduct of such works in the center of the city. The cut off process of the old existing trees is another unclear action, especially in the period when there is launched a governmental campaign “one tree per person” urging every citizen to plant a tree.
The coordinator of the Campaign for Protecting Cultural Rights, a human rights activist and a chair of the “Islam, Democracy and Human Rights Center”, Aytekin Imranova (on the right) thinks that such elimination of the history and culture is a crime and should be punished in accordance with the law. “We have already applied to the Cabinet, Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Committee on Construction and Architecture as well as to the executive authority of Sabayil district of Baku city to stop the current actions, restore the historical buildings and bring the guilty people to law. We are also informing the international community about the situation”, says Aytekin Imranova, who is a historian with 12 years of work experience in restoration.
About 3 dozens of campaigners (including organizations) signed the statement and attached it to the appeals. Among the signed organizations are member organizations of the Human Rights House Baku – Association for Women’s Rights Protection after D. Aliyeva and Women’s Association for Rational Development.
