AZE.US
Prominent Azerbaijani lawyer Akram Hasanov has sharply criticized the direction in which Baku is developing, urging ordinary residents to consider leaving the capital before life in the city becomes even harder.
Writing on Facebook, Hasanov said his warning should be taken seriously. He linked his remarks to recent comments by the leadership of Baku Metro, saying they exposed what he described as the real attitude of the bureaucratic class toward ordinary citizens.
Hasanov’s argument went beyond the metro debate. He portrayed Baku as a city increasingly designed for the wealthy, while ordinary residents are left to deal with congestion, fragile infrastructure, environmental problems and growing financial pressure.
He said the city’s repeated paralysis during rain, snow or extreme heat shows that Baku is no longer a comfortable or reliable place to live for many people. In his view, the problem is not only transport, but the broader quality of urban life.
Hasanov also pointed to Baku’s environmental pressures and widening social divide. While the capital still has attractive and comfortable areas, he said those spaces are becoming effectively inaccessible to people without substantial financial means.
The lawyer warned that residents with debts could eventually be forced to sell their homes below real market value. Even those without debt, he argued, should not assume they are safe, because the financial situation of ordinary families is likely to deteriorate.
“Baku is not your city anyway. It is being shaped as a city of the rich,” Hasanov wrote.
He also raised the issue of demolitions in the capital, saying buildings have already been torn down on the basis of decisions he considers unlawful, while courts, in his assessment, often justify such practices. That, he argued, leaves ordinary property owners increasingly vulnerable.
As an alternative, Hasanov suggested that people move to the regions, unite and create joint agricultural enterprises. He acknowledged that such a move would be difficult, but said remaining in Baku may become even harder.
If current trends continue, Hasanov warned, ordinary residents could end up serving the wealthy in a city that no longer belongs to them. The rich, he added, would not move to Azerbaijan’s regions if conditions in Baku deteriorate further, but would instead leave the country.
He ended with a bleak image of the capital’s future, saying Baku could one day become a “museum city” – a warning to the world about how not to build urban life, complete with empty underground metro stations.
AZE.US