Illegal reconstruction work on state-protected monuments halted in Baku
Based on information received from the Ministry of Culture by the Department for Non-Criminal Prosecution Proceedings of the Prosecutor General's Office, an investigation was conducted in connection with the carrying out, without appropriate approval, of repair, restoration, reconstruction and other work on historical and cultural monuments under state protection located in Baku.
The investigation established that, in violation of the requirements of the law and without obtaining the appropriate approval, reconstruction work was carried out at non-residential facilities located at the following addresses: 81 Nizami Street and 36C Bulbul Avenue in Baku's Nasimi district, 1news.az reports, citing the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.
These facilities are architectural monuments of local significance — similar violations were identified at a mosque located in the settlement of Buzovna in the Khazar district, which is also an architectural monument of local significance.
Based on the results of the investigation, in order to prevent a recurrence of the identified violations, the prosecutor's office issued a warning to the persons who committed the specified acts as a measure of prosecutorial influence.
Note that, according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments," the protection of historical and cultural monuments is ensured by the state. It is not permitted to alter the artistic and aesthetic appearance of monuments, to violate their integrity, or to carry out repair, construction, restoration, reconstruction and other work that may pose a threat to them without appropriate approval in the manner established by law.
The warning does not preclude the administrative and criminal liability provided for by law.
Thus, according to Article 231 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Azerbaijan, violation of the established requirements for the protection of cultural values, including the carrying out of reconstruction, restoration, conservation and other work without appropriate approval in the cases provided for by law, entails administrative liability.
At the same time, the intentional damage or destruction of state-protected cultural values may, in the cases provided for by law, entail criminal liability under Article 246 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and actions resulting in their destruction through negligence — under Article 246-1 of this Code.
"Historical and cultural monuments are an important part of our people's national cultural heritage. Preserving their historical and architectural features is of particular importance for passing our national heritage on to future generations. We call on citizens and relevant persons, before carrying out any repair, restoration, reconstruction or other work on monuments under state protection, to strictly observe the requirements and approval procedures established by law. Preserving our historical and cultural heritage is not only a legal but also a moral responsibility," the Prosecutor General's Office noted.
