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AZERBAIJAN: ANOTHER OPPOSITION PAPER, PARTY UNDER PRESSURE FOR "BACK RENT"
Mina Muradova and Khazri Bakinsky
EurasiaNet, NY
Dec 1 2006
Days after the government's suspension of broadcasts by an independent
television and radio station, along with the eviction of an opposition
party and pro-opposition media outlets from their offices in downtown
Baku, Azerbaijan's State Property Committee has initiated court
proceedings against another opposition newspaper for failure to pay
its rent.
The Hurriyyat newspaper, a publication financed by the opposition
Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA), has been in print since 1992.
The DPA has a long history of disputes with the government. On the eve
of the November 2005 parliamentary elections, law enforcement officials
claimed that DPA Chairman Rasul Guliyev, a former parliamentary speaker
who has been granted political asylum in the United States, was working
in collusion with government officials to overthrow President Ilham
Aliyev. [For background see the Azerbaijan: Elections 2005 website].
In an interview with EurasiaNet, State Property Committee spokesperson
Gulu Khalilov stated that the Committee decided to take Hurriyyat to
court to collect overdue rent on a building near Baku's May 28 subway
station. The building has been occupied by the DPA and Hurriyyat since
1992. Khalilov declined to answer additional questions about the case.
The Committee maintains that Gurban Mammadov -- a co-founder of
Hurriyyat who rents the building the newspaper and the DPA occupy
-- owes the government $2,700. In a November 30 interview, however,
Mammadov stated that the newspaper owes the State Property Committee
$700. The amount would be paid "right now." in exchange for a new
lease, he continued. The Committee has not renewed an earlier lease,
which expired in 2004, Mammadov said. "We have a little debt, and
we're ready to pay it, but after signing a new contract."
Representatives of the State Property Committee have said that
they will consider the question after court hearings on their rent
claim are complete. The court has not yet registered the case for a
hearing. In response, Mammadov has filed a suit against the Committee
in the same court, Azerbaijani Economic Court No. 1, alleging that
the Committee refused to prolong his contract because Hurriyyat is
an opposition newspaper.
The dispute follows on the heels of the November 24 suspension of
broadcasts by independent television and radio station ANS, and a
November 25 court ruling to evict the opposition Popular Front Party
of Azerbaijan, the country's largest opposition political party,
and a series of pro-opposition media outlets and non-governmental
organizations from their offices in a building in downtown Baku. [
For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The eviction prompted sharp criticism from the international community,
and has raised concerns about respect for freedom of the press in
Azerbaijan.
In a November 27 statement, US Department of State spokesperson
Tom Casey said the ANS broadcast recent moves against independent
media outlets indicates that "the government is seriously impeding
the ability of independent journalists to work in Azerbaijan." [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Saying that Washington
"is concerned by the government of Azerbaijan's moves to limit press
freedoms," Casey called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's
administration to permit "all three media outlets to continue
operations while negotiations on regulatory and licensing compliance
are resolved."
Responding to such concerns in a November 29 interview with state
television channel AzTV, President Aliyev dismissed as groundless fears
that the government is attempting to squash critics. "[F]reedom of the
press is present in Azerbaijan... and ensuring freedom of speech is one
of our priorities, in which Azerbaijan has achieved notable success."
The opposition has exaggerated the circumstances surrounding the
eviction of Azadliq newspaper and the Popular Front Party (PFPA) for
political reasons, the president continued. "They want to show that
authorities allegedly suppress the opposition press. On the contrary,
we have created very good conditions for the Azadliq newspaper in the
Azerbaijan Publishing House." The State Property Committee provided
alternative offices for the Popular Front and other organizations on
the outskirts of Baku, but the tenants refused the offer.
Aliyev also dismissed the contention that "special privileges"
should be given to journalists or the media. "All questions should
be resolved on a legal basis. One [person] may like the law; another
may dislike it. However, this is the law and these laws rule society
and the country," he added.
Opposition leaders, however, show little sign of putting aside
their misgivings about the government's intentions. In a November 25
interview with Day.az, Lala Shovket Hajiyeva, leader of the Liberal
Party of Azerbaijan, said that the opposition's inability to gain
approval for rallies, or to work out of regular offices has prompted
the disbanding of the opposition Azadliq (Freedom) bloc, a movement
formed by the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the Democratic Party
of Azerbaijan and the Liberal Party for Azerbaijan's 2005 parliamentary
elections. The bloc fared poorly at the polls, based on official
results. [For background see the Azerbaijan: Elections 2005 website].
Echoing Hajiyeva's concerns, Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Deputy
Chairman Fuad Mustafayev argues that a campaign is underway to stamp
out Azerbaijan's opposition and non-state-controlled media. "If they
[officials] played at democracy before, now they even refuse to imitate
it," Mustafayev said. "The purpose of the authorities' actions is
to establish in Azerbaijan the same regime as is in Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan."
The PFPA's eviction has hampered its ability to function as an
organized political movement, he continued. Lower-level party
functionaries have now been scattered to work in various locations,
while PFPA leaders had set up their offices in the building now
featured in the State Property Committee's case against the Hurriyyat
newspaper.
Government critics suggest various reasons for the actions against ANS
and eviction of pro-opposition media outlets, ranging from preparation
for an unpopular proposed solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
with Armenia to a desire to further strengthen the government's grasp
on power in preparation for the 2008 presidential elections. The
government has dismissed all such interpretations, saying that it is
acting purely on a legal basis.
Editor's Note: Mina Muradova and Khazri Bakinsky are freelance
reporters based in Baku.
Mina Muradova and Khazri Bakinsky
EurasiaNet, NY
Dec 1 2006
Days after the government's suspension of broadcasts by an independent
television and radio station, along with the eviction of an opposition
party and pro-opposition media outlets from their offices in downtown
Baku, Azerbaijan's State Property Committee has initiated court
proceedings against another opposition newspaper for failure to pay
its rent.
The Hurriyyat newspaper, a publication financed by the opposition
Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA), has been in print since 1992.
The DPA has a long history of disputes with the government. On the eve
of the November 2005 parliamentary elections, law enforcement officials
claimed that DPA Chairman Rasul Guliyev, a former parliamentary speaker
who has been granted political asylum in the United States, was working
in collusion with government officials to overthrow President Ilham
Aliyev. [For background see the Azerbaijan: Elections 2005 website].
In an interview with EurasiaNet, State Property Committee spokesperson
Gulu Khalilov stated that the Committee decided to take Hurriyyat to
court to collect overdue rent on a building near Baku's May 28 subway
station. The building has been occupied by the DPA and Hurriyyat since
1992. Khalilov declined to answer additional questions about the case.
The Committee maintains that Gurban Mammadov -- a co-founder of
Hurriyyat who rents the building the newspaper and the DPA occupy
-- owes the government $2,700. In a November 30 interview, however,
Mammadov stated that the newspaper owes the State Property Committee
$700. The amount would be paid "right now." in exchange for a new
lease, he continued. The Committee has not renewed an earlier lease,
which expired in 2004, Mammadov said. "We have a little debt, and
we're ready to pay it, but after signing a new contract."
Representatives of the State Property Committee have said that
they will consider the question after court hearings on their rent
claim are complete. The court has not yet registered the case for a
hearing. In response, Mammadov has filed a suit against the Committee
in the same court, Azerbaijani Economic Court No. 1, alleging that
the Committee refused to prolong his contract because Hurriyyat is
an opposition newspaper.
The dispute follows on the heels of the November 24 suspension of
broadcasts by independent television and radio station ANS, and a
November 25 court ruling to evict the opposition Popular Front Party
of Azerbaijan, the country's largest opposition political party,
and a series of pro-opposition media outlets and non-governmental
organizations from their offices in a building in downtown Baku. [
For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The eviction prompted sharp criticism from the international community,
and has raised concerns about respect for freedom of the press in
Azerbaijan.
In a November 27 statement, US Department of State spokesperson
Tom Casey said the ANS broadcast recent moves against independent
media outlets indicates that "the government is seriously impeding
the ability of independent journalists to work in Azerbaijan." [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Saying that Washington
"is concerned by the government of Azerbaijan's moves to limit press
freedoms," Casey called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's
administration to permit "all three media outlets to continue
operations while negotiations on regulatory and licensing compliance
are resolved."
Responding to such concerns in a November 29 interview with state
television channel AzTV, President Aliyev dismissed as groundless fears
that the government is attempting to squash critics. "[F]reedom of the
press is present in Azerbaijan... and ensuring freedom of speech is one
of our priorities, in which Azerbaijan has achieved notable success."
The opposition has exaggerated the circumstances surrounding the
eviction of Azadliq newspaper and the Popular Front Party (PFPA) for
political reasons, the president continued. "They want to show that
authorities allegedly suppress the opposition press. On the contrary,
we have created very good conditions for the Azadliq newspaper in the
Azerbaijan Publishing House." The State Property Committee provided
alternative offices for the Popular Front and other organizations on
the outskirts of Baku, but the tenants refused the offer.
Aliyev also dismissed the contention that "special privileges"
should be given to journalists or the media. "All questions should
be resolved on a legal basis. One [person] may like the law; another
may dislike it. However, this is the law and these laws rule society
and the country," he added.
Opposition leaders, however, show little sign of putting aside
their misgivings about the government's intentions. In a November 25
interview with Day.az, Lala Shovket Hajiyeva, leader of the Liberal
Party of Azerbaijan, said that the opposition's inability to gain
approval for rallies, or to work out of regular offices has prompted
the disbanding of the opposition Azadliq (Freedom) bloc, a movement
formed by the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the Democratic Party
of Azerbaijan and the Liberal Party for Azerbaijan's 2005 parliamentary
elections. The bloc fared poorly at the polls, based on official
results. [For background see the Azerbaijan: Elections 2005 website].
Echoing Hajiyeva's concerns, Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Deputy
Chairman Fuad Mustafayev argues that a campaign is underway to stamp
out Azerbaijan's opposition and non-state-controlled media. "If they
[officials] played at democracy before, now they even refuse to imitate
it," Mustafayev said. "The purpose of the authorities' actions is
to establish in Azerbaijan the same regime as is in Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan."
The PFPA's eviction has hampered its ability to function as an
organized political movement, he continued. Lower-level party
functionaries have now been scattered to work in various locations,
while PFPA leaders had set up their offices in the building now
featured in the State Property Committee's case against the Hurriyyat
newspaper.
Government critics suggest various reasons for the actions against ANS
and eviction of pro-opposition media outlets, ranging from preparation
for an unpopular proposed solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
with Armenia to a desire to further strengthen the government's grasp
on power in preparation for the 2008 presidential elections. The
government has dismissed all such interpretations, saying that it is
acting purely on a legal basis.
Editor's Note: Mina Muradova and Khazri Bakinsky are freelance
reporters based in Baku.