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Freedom House: Safarov's Glorification Halted The Peace Talks

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  • Freedom House: Safarov's Glorification Halted The Peace Talks

    FREEDOM HOUSE: SAFAROV'S GLORIFICATION HALTED THE PEACE TALKS

    Mediamax, Armenia
    July 16 2013

    Yerevan /Mediamax/. The "democracy gap" between Azerbaijan and its
    Caucasian neighbors continued to grow in 2012.

    Freedom House's "Nations in Transit 2013" report reads this. "Nations
    in Transit" is Freedom House's comprehensive, comparative study of
    democratic development in 29 countries from Central Europe to Eurasia,
    Mediamax reports.

    This edition covers the period from January 1 through December 31.

    "While neighboring Azerbaijan aggressively stifled political
    opposition, Georgia and Armenia conducted parliamentary elections under
    new electoral laws that emphasized equal access to campaign resources
    and media coverage. Some abuse of administrative resources and
    polling-day violations persisted, but overall competitiveness improved,
    and both votes yielded more representative legislatures. For the first
    time, the Armenian National Congress, which had formerly denounced
    all government institutions, won seats in Armenia's National Assembly
    and began participating in parliamentary politics", the report notes.

    The report reads that the "democracy gap" between Azerbaijan and its
    Caucasian neighbors continued to grow in 2012.

    "The peaceful and more inclusive elections in Georgia and Armenia
    contrasted sharply with the brutal suppression of public gatherings in
    the run-up to the Eurovision song contest in Baku, and the introduction
    of huge fines for anyone participating in unauthorized rallies in the
    country. Meanwhile, investigative reports by foreign media exposed
    the enormous personal assets of President Ilham Aliyev's family,
    prompting legal amendments that protect the secrecy of corporate
    ownership structures and further limit journalists' ability to uncover
    corruption", the report reads.

    The report also mentions the extradition and Azerbaijan's glorification
    of Azerbaijani Ramil Safarov who brutally killed Armenian officer
    Gurgen Margaryan in Hungary.

    "The government in Baku gave him a hero's welcome and immediately set
    him free, thereby halting any progress in Azerbaijan's negotiations
    with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh", the
    report notes.

    http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/region/7736/

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