BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. A group of
Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations and civil society
institutions has sent a joint official appeal to the relevant state
bodies and ministries of 48 countries, including the U.S., the UK,
Germany, and France, Trend reports.
In the letter, representatives of the civil sector expressed
deep concern over the actions of the construction company Lafarge,
a member of the Swiss Holcim Group, and its Syrian subsidiary,
Lafarge Cement Syria.
According to the text of the appeal, the management of the
cement plant in the Syrian region of Jalabiya deliberately
continued commercial operations between 2012 and 2014, despite a
critical deterioration in the security situation and threats to
local workers. To maintain operations on the ground, the company's
top management entered into financial agreements with international
terrorist groups. These facts have already led to high-profile
legal proceedings: in October 2022, Lafarge pleaded guilty in a
U.S. federal court, paying approximately $778 million in fines and
forfeitures.
Furthermore, in April 2026, the Paris Criminal Court found the
company itself and several of its former executives guilty of
financing terrorism, imposing the maximum corporate fine and
handing down real prison sentences to the former officials.
According to the letter, Azerbaijani public figures are
demanding that foreign governments ensure strict oversight of the
Holcim holding's activities in their countries.
The authors of the letter insist on conducting independent,
transparent investigations, declaring that the commercial interests
of big business must under no circumstances prevail over
international law and humanitarian principles.
