Construction of new public facilities and attractions generally commenced shortly after demolition , with a new 25,000 square metre park nearing completion as of 1 August 2012 . The government offered to compensate the former residents of expropriated properties . HRW criticized the reimbursements as being inadequate for purchasing any new property in Baku . Those who refused compensation were evicted and often became homeless . In the run-up to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest , authorities evicted more residents to make room for the Baku Crystal Hall arena , where the event would subsequently be held . Zohrab Ismayil , who authored a report on forced evictions in Baku , said that 281 families were evicted to make room for construction , and that the government paid them compensation below the market rate on several occasions . The government stated that the evictions had no relevance to the contest , but were part of a larger seven-year reconstruction plan aimed at developing the downtown area of the city
2012 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Forced evictions in Baku