Background of the events

On June 20, violence by Azerbaijani security forces against residents of Söyüdlü village, Gadabay district, caused widespread discontent. The confrontation was caused by the villagers' objection to creating a new artificial lake in Söyüdlü. According to the protesters, the lake, which will hold the gold mine's wastewater, could damage the economy, agricultural land, and people's health. The first such lake was built in 2012, a few hundred meters from Söyüdlü. Now, for the same reason, the construction of a new lake has alarmed citizens.

On June 21, another protest took place in the village of Söyüdlü. Residents marched to the police station with placards saying, "The Kur River is being poisoned," and other environmental issues. They demanded the release of those arrested on June 20: "We are protesting so that our children do not grow up sick."

The mineral resources of the Gadabay, Qadir, and Ugur deposits in Azerbaijan were reassessed in 2020. "According to Anglo-Asian Mining Plc, a British company engaged in gold, silver, and copper mining in Azerbaijan, the reserves of the Gadabay deposit amount to 284 thousand ounces (8 tonnes 50 kg) of gold and 26 thousand tonnes of copper. The "Qadir" deposit, located one kilometer from the Gadabay deposit, is reported to contain 49 thousand ounces (1 ton 390 kg) of gold and 191 thousand tonnes of copper. "Anglo-Asian Mining is producing under the Production Sharing Agreement signed in Azerbaijan in 1997. Azerbaijan's share in the contract is 51 percent, and the share of Anglo-Asian Mining Plc. is 49 percent. The first gold production (in the "Gadabay" field) started in 2009.

Recent developments

On June 22, a Voice of America reporter reported that access to Söyüdlü village of Gadabay district had been restricted. "We journalists are waiting at the police post set up at the village entrance. Only people with village registration are allowed into the village of Söyüdlü," the Voice of America correspondent said.

Elshad Hajiyev, the head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, told Voice of America that to ensure public order, the entry of other persons into the village area was restricted. "Persons related to the villagers will be investigated and released to the village," he said in response to villagers' claims that people were not allowed to attend the funeral.

Moreover, on the same day, the commission established by order of the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, visited the village of Söyüdlü to conduct monitoring and assess the current situation in the village of Söyüdlü, Gadabay district.

The commission's chairman, the minister of ecology and natural resources, Mukhtar Babayev, said that the commission monitored the pond and the surrounding areas for the accumulation of acid residues discharged after the chemical cleaning of the gold mine in the village territory.

Mukhtar Babayev said during his speech in front of the audience, which reportedly included village residents, that the commission carried out measurements in the area with special equipment. "The analysis of soil, air, and water samples was carried out with this equipment. I will tell you the preliminary information about the dangers you raised. We made measurements of atmospheric air there and around the village with special devices. There are no alarming factors there. The parameters of technical gases are within the norm. The main "The composition of the cyanide vaporization that worries you is not in the air. Therefore, please take it easy. Do not be alarmed by it. I can see from your speeches that it creates fear in you. That warehouse has been in operation for 11 years," the commission chairman noted.

The minister said that the sudden emergence of complaints raises many big questions. He said education in the villages near the production area is very important. "The level of awareness is very low. I think that manufacturers here should be in close contact with the population. They should promote the work they do," the minister said.

The commission's chairman told the residents that creating a second lake is not planned. He said that the activity of the existing production area will be investigated, and if there is any damage, measures will be taken to minimize it.

It was reported that the created monitoring group will investigate the enterprise's activity in the village, its impact on ecology and the environment will be determined, and steps will be taken to increase the enterprise's social responsibility towards the rural population. It was noted that samples would be taken from the artificial lake and natural water sources around it. Soil samples will also be analyzed in connection with the complaint of low productivity in the backyard. Regarding the residents' complaint about the increase in oncological diseases in the village, the member of the commission, the deputy minister of health, presented the statistics for the country and Gadabay region for the last ten years and noted that no significant increase was observed.

On June 23, the members of the National Preventive Group of the Ombudsman's Office met with the persons detained during the incident in the village of Söyüdlü at the Temporary Detention Place of the Gadabay District Police Department.

According to the Press Service of the Ombudsman Office, the persons detained during the visit, including five persons detained and administratively arrested during the incident in Söyüdlü village of the district, were received confidentially. Their appeals were heard on the spot. "Each admitted person was individually visually examined; they said they had no complaints about their treatment, food supply, or storage conditions. They thanked the Ombudsman for immediately reacting to the issue and taking care of their rights. The detained persons were explained their rights, and each of them was given legal advice on their appeals related to the court decisions against them", the information stated.

On June 24, to investigate citizens' appeals regarding the health and environmental protection of the residents of Söyüdlü village of Gadabay district, the relevant government commission continued complex monitoring in the area. New arrests are reported on social networks.

According to the information of the government commission, the relevant institutions in the area are currently evaluating the effects on the environment, analyzing the statistics and dynamics of diseases from the point of view of medical health, and conducting medical examinations. "Negative effects on productivity and livestock in allotment lands and pastures are being studied, and water and soil samples are being taken. Analyzes are carried out, and the quality of atmospheric air is checked. The results of the conducted complex monitoring will be analyzed, and proposals will be prepared and presented to the Cabinet of Ministers," the government commission said.

The 16-member medical brigade of the Gadabay District Central Hospital is conducting medical examinations of residents at the Söyüdlü Doctor's medical center. The medical team includes therapists, cardiologists, pediatricians, ENT specialists, surgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists, ultrasound, and laboratory specialists. "Up to now, each of the 30 citizens who have applied for the examination has undergone the necessary laboratory and instrumental examinations, and no specific pathologies have been detected in them," the information said.

On the same day, information about new arrests, along with five people arrested after the events in Söyüdlü village, was spread on social networks.