Today in the Sulutepe housing area of Khojasan settlement, Binagadi district, employees of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic began to demolish private houses without warning.
A confrontation between the employees of the company and the people whose houses were being demolished developed. Several residents were injured, and SOCAR employees pressured journalists at the scene, including Ayna-Zerkalo newspapers correspondent and IRFS employee Idrak Abbasov, and Azadlig newspaper employee Esmira Javadova. They even damaged Abbasov’s automobile and a person in civil clothing stole Javadova’s camera out of her hands. She only got it back after local residents followed the person and recovered the camera.
According to the local residents, they did not receive any warning before the demolition. Persons in military clothing and carrying rubber batons simply broke into homes, beat residents, and began demolition of the houses. Company employees even demolished several newly built houses, explaining that they are carrying out the order of the government.
Meanwhile, the police officers at the scene attempted to prevent confrontation between the residents and the employees of the State Oil Company.