Property owners around the Holy Shrine of Askarian Imams in Samarra, Iraq, are being pressured to sell their land below market value, according to Salahuddin Provincial Council Chairman Ahmad al-Krayem.

In a Dec. 29 meeting with property owners, Krayem accused the shrine administration of blocking the areas surrounding the shrine and preventing landowners from investing in their properties in order to pressure them into selling at cheap prices. He said the administration, citing security concerns, is using checkpoints to limit access to the area.

Krayem considers the authorities' actions an effort to systematically displace the people of the surrounding areas. The people, however, are fighting back, he said.

“The landowners have agreed to take the necessary legal measures to recuperate their properties," Krayem said at the meeting, adding that "the Salahuddin Governorate Provincial Council will file a complaint to this effect.” Krayem said, “The owners of these properties were among the richest families of Samarra. Today, they are the poorest in the city." He stressed that the value of the properties surrounding the shrine is estimated at billions of dinars, but because access is restricted, the administration is able to squeeze landowners to sell for cheaper prices.