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SOUTH CAUCASUS IN STATE OF DENIAL ON US HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
EurasiaNet.org, NY
April 23 2013
April 23, 2013 - 8:31am, by Giorgi Lomsadze
The adjectives biased, spurious and slanderous provide the essence
of Baku's response to the US State Department's latest report on
the global state of human rights, including alleged malpractices in
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
Once again, Azerbaijan, the region's energy giant, led the pack with
diagnoses of chronic cases of intolerance for freedom of expression,
corruption in the judiciary system and abuse of detainees by police.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's senior political advisor,
Ali Hasanov, did temper his response with elaborations about the
importance of Baku's strategic partnership with the US, but he could
not help noticing an alleged double-standard in the American criticism.
A country that, as he sees it, had no qualms about folding the Occupy
Wall Street movement in New York City is in no position to lecture a
country that does not want to allow similarly impromptu demonstrations
in the heart of its capital, he implied.
"The unfair comments about Azerbaijan, coming from those who turn
a blind eye to restrictions of freedom of assembly in the US and
Europe, cannot be regarded as sincere," objected Hasanov in a lengthy,
point-by-point rebuttal of the annual report.
The 77 non-combat deaths in Azerbaijan's army in 2012 -- another black
mark in the report -- are a matter of concern for the Azerbaijani
government, Hasanov said, but added that the topic is being hyped by
the Armenian lobby and their political clients. (Just as Hasanov was
busy playing down the army problem, APA news service reported that
another Azerbaijani soldier had hanged himself.)
The report, though, indicates that violence in the army is one thing
that enemies Armenia and Azerbaijan have in common. Both countries
have seen an outpouring of public anger over the killings and abuse
of conscripts.
In Armenia, the establishment also shrugged at their share of
Washington's criticism. A senior member of the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia described as "groundless and unsubstantiated" accusations
about pervasive corruption, a lack of transparency in government
and citizens' inability to change said government, RFE/RL's Armenia
service reported.
Of the South Caucasus trio, only Georgia does not seem to have the
army-violence problem and only Tbilisi has not responded to the State
Department's criticisms. Most of the faults found centered on the
torture and abuse of prisoners, a lack of judicial independence and
obstacles to political participation. The cited violations, however,
concerned cases that happened prior to the political changeover in last
October's parliamentary election. Little criticism was directly pointed
at officials under the current prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66862
EurasiaNet.org, NY
April 23 2013
April 23, 2013 - 8:31am, by Giorgi Lomsadze
The adjectives biased, spurious and slanderous provide the essence
of Baku's response to the US State Department's latest report on
the global state of human rights, including alleged malpractices in
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
Once again, Azerbaijan, the region's energy giant, led the pack with
diagnoses of chronic cases of intolerance for freedom of expression,
corruption in the judiciary system and abuse of detainees by police.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's senior political advisor,
Ali Hasanov, did temper his response with elaborations about the
importance of Baku's strategic partnership with the US, but he could
not help noticing an alleged double-standard in the American criticism.
A country that, as he sees it, had no qualms about folding the Occupy
Wall Street movement in New York City is in no position to lecture a
country that does not want to allow similarly impromptu demonstrations
in the heart of its capital, he implied.
"The unfair comments about Azerbaijan, coming from those who turn
a blind eye to restrictions of freedom of assembly in the US and
Europe, cannot be regarded as sincere," objected Hasanov in a lengthy,
point-by-point rebuttal of the annual report.
The 77 non-combat deaths in Azerbaijan's army in 2012 -- another black
mark in the report -- are a matter of concern for the Azerbaijani
government, Hasanov said, but added that the topic is being hyped by
the Armenian lobby and their political clients. (Just as Hasanov was
busy playing down the army problem, APA news service reported that
another Azerbaijani soldier had hanged himself.)
The report, though, indicates that violence in the army is one thing
that enemies Armenia and Azerbaijan have in common. Both countries
have seen an outpouring of public anger over the killings and abuse
of conscripts.
In Armenia, the establishment also shrugged at their share of
Washington's criticism. A senior member of the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia described as "groundless and unsubstantiated" accusations
about pervasive corruption, a lack of transparency in government
and citizens' inability to change said government, RFE/RL's Armenia
service reported.
Of the South Caucasus trio, only Georgia does not seem to have the
army-violence problem and only Tbilisi has not responded to the State
Department's criticisms. Most of the faults found centered on the
torture and abuse of prisoners, a lack of judicial independence and
obstacles to political participation. The cited violations, however,
concerned cases that happened prior to the political changeover in last
October's parliamentary election. Little criticism was directly pointed
at officials under the current prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66862