#Azerbaijan: Homeowners Forced Evictions for City Beautification A new report, made by Human Rights Watch, says that the Eurovision, a popular song contest with acts from 56 countries, expected to draw more than 100 million television viewers, is overshadowed by #HumanRights abuses in #Baku – illegal #evictions and demolitions of people’s homes as part of a government-sponsored beautification project. In one neighborhood, dozens of families have been forcibly evicted to make way for a modern, glass-encased arena. Some have been forced out without warning, others evicted in the middle of the night. Homes have been torn down while the owners’ possessions – furniture, photos – were still inside. The #Eurovision Song Contest will be the first major event in the arena. When residents refused to leave their apartments, authorities forced them out by cutting off electricity and water or removing the building’s windows, letting in the rain, wind, and snow. These measures make the buildings uninhabitable and compel residents to leave. Some #evicted residents said the government offered them nominal payments. But the offers didn’t begin to cover the value of their homes – some in highly desirable areas overlooking the Caspian Sea. Read the Report “They Took Everything from Me”: http://bit.ly/A5Fav0 Source: Human Rights Watch