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SEVEN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED OVER DETENTION OF AZERI YOUTH ACTIVIST ZAUR GURBANLI
http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3733&Ite mid=53
LONDON. October 9, 2012. Yesterday, seven international organizations
adopted a statement expressing concerns over the unlawful arrest and
detention of the Azerbaijani youth activist Zaur Gurbanli. Below is
the full text of the statement adopted by the Article 19, Index on
Censorship, Freedom House, Freedom Now, Media Diversity Institute,
Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and PEN International:
The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA), coordinated
by ARTICLE 19, is concerned about the arrest of Zaur Gurbanli,
an activist with the N!DA Civic Movement and the Positive Change
Youth Movement. Gurbanli was held incommunicado from 29 September
to 1 October and is now serving a 15 day administrative sentence for
allegedly resisting the police officers when arrested.
In particular, the IPGA is concerned by the covert nature of Gurbanli's
arrest and detention, and the apparent political motivations guiding
the case.
On the morning of 29 September 2012, Zaur Gurbanli, 25, was
arrested outside his apartment in the capital Baku by members of the
Azerbaijiani Interior Ministry's Central Unit Against Organised Crime.
Gurbanli's apartment and offices were then searched in his
presence, but without a search warrant, after which the activist
was transferred to an unknown location. During the following two
days no information was provided to his family or lawyer regarding
the activist's whereabouts or the reason for his detention. One of
the officials reportedly claimed that Gurbanli was being taken to
the Yasamal District Police Department, yet when contacted by the
activist's lawyer the department denied this claim. A witness later
reported seeing Gurbanli near the Anti-organised Crime Unit although
the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to confirm this. The silence
surrounding Gurbanli's detention led his family and friends to believe
he had been kidnapped.
Due to the lack of information regarding his whereabouts there was also
significant delay before the activist was allowed access to a lawyer,
violating his fundamental rights as a detainee. Gurbanli's lawyer,
Asabali Mustafayev, was finally granted access to his client on 1
October and it was subsequently reported the activist's detention
was based on information about his possible involvement in drug
trafficking. However, it appears that no charges have been brought
with regards to these allegations. Instead, Gurbanli was sentenced in
a closed hearing by Absheron Regional Court to 15 days administrative
detention under Article 19 310.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences
for deliberately resisting to obey lawful demands of on-duty police
officers. It was also claimed by the authorities that illegal documents
and other materials had been found at his workplace.
During the search of the office of the Positive Change Movement,
carried out without a search warrant on 29 September, officials from
the Central Unit Against Organized Crime had confiscated printed
N!DA campaign materials showing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's
silhouette and the words 'I will go in 2013 if you join the N!DA'.
Gurbanli's laptop had also been seized. In a subsequent statement
other members of the N!DA Civic Movement stated that the 8,000 flyers
confiscated by the police were only promotional materials intended
to attract new members to their organisation, which had been printed
in accordance with Azerbaijani law.
At a press conference held on 1 October, after Gurbanli's sentencing,
representatives of N!DA indicated their belief that his activism was
the real motivation behind his arrest.
Zaur Gurbanli's arrest is the latest in a series of apparently
politically motivated arrests over the last few months. Particularly
targeted are those, like Gurbanli, who were critical of the
authorities in the build up to, and during, the Eurovision Song
Contest, hosted by Azerbaijan in May this year. Gurbanli was part
of the Sing for Democracy movement, which used the contest as an
opportunity to highlight human rights abuses in Azerbaijan. His fellow
activist Mehman Huseynov was arrested in June 2012, on charges of
hooliganism. Although later released from pre-trial detention he
remains under investigation. There are currently seven imprisoned
journalists/human rights defenders, a further six detained on pre-trial
detention and two, including Huseynov, who have been charged but
not detained.
The IPGA condemns the Azerbaijani authorities' ongoing attempts to
silence those who criticise the government and/or support political
change; the detention and trial of opposition activists, as well as
the seemingly political charges and sentences brought against them,
all of which violate international standards on the right to freedom
of expression and information.
Following Gurbanli's arrest, the IPGA recommends that the Azerbaijani
authorities immediately take the following action:
~UCarry out a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into
Gurbanli's incommunicado detention and hold those responsible to
account; ~UMake public the evidence supporting its charge against
Zaur Gurbanli; ~UEnsure Azerbaijan upholds international standards
regarding the right to freedom of expression and right to freedom of
information and that these rights are respected and guaranteed for
all its citizens.
The following organisations support this statement:
ARTICLE 19
Index on Censorship
Freedom House
Freedom Now
Media Diversity Institute
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
PEN International
(Azeri Report. source: Article 19)
From: A. Papazian
http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3733&Ite mid=53
LONDON. October 9, 2012. Yesterday, seven international organizations
adopted a statement expressing concerns over the unlawful arrest and
detention of the Azerbaijani youth activist Zaur Gurbanli. Below is
the full text of the statement adopted by the Article 19, Index on
Censorship, Freedom House, Freedom Now, Media Diversity Institute,
Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and PEN International:
The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA), coordinated
by ARTICLE 19, is concerned about the arrest of Zaur Gurbanli,
an activist with the N!DA Civic Movement and the Positive Change
Youth Movement. Gurbanli was held incommunicado from 29 September
to 1 October and is now serving a 15 day administrative sentence for
allegedly resisting the police officers when arrested.
In particular, the IPGA is concerned by the covert nature of Gurbanli's
arrest and detention, and the apparent political motivations guiding
the case.
On the morning of 29 September 2012, Zaur Gurbanli, 25, was
arrested outside his apartment in the capital Baku by members of the
Azerbaijiani Interior Ministry's Central Unit Against Organised Crime.
Gurbanli's apartment and offices were then searched in his
presence, but without a search warrant, after which the activist
was transferred to an unknown location. During the following two
days no information was provided to his family or lawyer regarding
the activist's whereabouts or the reason for his detention. One of
the officials reportedly claimed that Gurbanli was being taken to
the Yasamal District Police Department, yet when contacted by the
activist's lawyer the department denied this claim. A witness later
reported seeing Gurbanli near the Anti-organised Crime Unit although
the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to confirm this. The silence
surrounding Gurbanli's detention led his family and friends to believe
he had been kidnapped.
Due to the lack of information regarding his whereabouts there was also
significant delay before the activist was allowed access to a lawyer,
violating his fundamental rights as a detainee. Gurbanli's lawyer,
Asabali Mustafayev, was finally granted access to his client on 1
October and it was subsequently reported the activist's detention
was based on information about his possible involvement in drug
trafficking. However, it appears that no charges have been brought
with regards to these allegations. Instead, Gurbanli was sentenced in
a closed hearing by Absheron Regional Court to 15 days administrative
detention under Article 19 310.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences
for deliberately resisting to obey lawful demands of on-duty police
officers. It was also claimed by the authorities that illegal documents
and other materials had been found at his workplace.
During the search of the office of the Positive Change Movement,
carried out without a search warrant on 29 September, officials from
the Central Unit Against Organized Crime had confiscated printed
N!DA campaign materials showing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's
silhouette and the words 'I will go in 2013 if you join the N!DA'.
Gurbanli's laptop had also been seized. In a subsequent statement
other members of the N!DA Civic Movement stated that the 8,000 flyers
confiscated by the police were only promotional materials intended
to attract new members to their organisation, which had been printed
in accordance with Azerbaijani law.
At a press conference held on 1 October, after Gurbanli's sentencing,
representatives of N!DA indicated their belief that his activism was
the real motivation behind his arrest.
Zaur Gurbanli's arrest is the latest in a series of apparently
politically motivated arrests over the last few months. Particularly
targeted are those, like Gurbanli, who were critical of the
authorities in the build up to, and during, the Eurovision Song
Contest, hosted by Azerbaijan in May this year. Gurbanli was part
of the Sing for Democracy movement, which used the contest as an
opportunity to highlight human rights abuses in Azerbaijan. His fellow
activist Mehman Huseynov was arrested in June 2012, on charges of
hooliganism. Although later released from pre-trial detention he
remains under investigation. There are currently seven imprisoned
journalists/human rights defenders, a further six detained on pre-trial
detention and two, including Huseynov, who have been charged but
not detained.
The IPGA condemns the Azerbaijani authorities' ongoing attempts to
silence those who criticise the government and/or support political
change; the detention and trial of opposition activists, as well as
the seemingly political charges and sentences brought against them,
all of which violate international standards on the right to freedom
of expression and information.
Following Gurbanli's arrest, the IPGA recommends that the Azerbaijani
authorities immediately take the following action:
~UCarry out a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into
Gurbanli's incommunicado detention and hold those responsible to
account; ~UMake public the evidence supporting its charge against
Zaur Gurbanli; ~UEnsure Azerbaijan upholds international standards
regarding the right to freedom of expression and right to freedom of
information and that these rights are respected and guaranteed for
all its citizens.
The following organisations support this statement:
ARTICLE 19
Index on Censorship
Freedom House
Freedom Now
Media Diversity Institute
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
PEN International
(Azeri Report. source: Article 19)
From: A. Papazian