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Azerbaijan: The address of the Housing and Management (or Maintenance) Office (ZhEK); whether they issue documents and/or stamp internal passports to verify ownership of an apartment

A representative of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in London, UK offered the following information as unofficial based on his personal knowledge: the Housing and Maintenance Offices (Zhilishchno-Ekspluatatsionnaya Kontrora – ZhEK in Russian) are Soviet-era agencies still responsible for managing and maintaining housing in Azerbaijan (19 Aug. 2004). They issue documentation to prove residency in, but not ownership of specific properties (Embassy of Azerbaijan in London, UK 19 Aug. 2004). In a 19 August 2004 telephone interview, the consul at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Washington, DC corroborated this information (19 Aug. 2004). Further, the consul explained that the Soviet-era internal passports, which were stamped by a ZhEK to indicate where a person was registered as a resident, have been replaced by identification cards (Embassy of Azerbaijan in Washington, DC 19 Aug. 2004).

According to both representatives, the Bureau of Technical Inventory (BTI) issues documentation to prove ownership of property, but does not stamp identification documents (ibid.; Embassy of Azerbaijan in London, UK 19 Aug. 2004).

Information on the address of a ZhEK in Azerbaijan was not found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Embassy of Azerbaijan in London, UK. 19 August 2004. Correspondence received by the Research Directorate.
_____. 17 August 2004. Telephone interview with a representative.

Embassy of Azerbaijan in Washington, DC. 19 August 2004. Telephone interview with the consul.

Additional Sources Consulted

The Azerbaijan Ministry of Justice did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

Internet sites, including: Azerbaijan Daily Digest, Azerbaijan International, Azerbaijan News, Azernews, Baku Sun, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Daily Times, Global Connections – Azerbaijan, Internews Azerbaijan, Intrans, Open Society Institute, Reporters Without Borders, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), United Methodist Church, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United States-Azerbaijan Council (USAC).