Tweet
THE ECONOMIST: ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN ARE FALSIFIED LONG BEFORE VOTING DAY
13:06 03/09/2013 " REGION
The Azerbaijani opposition's inability to wrest power from the
all-powerful regime of Ilham Aliev seems to have driven it into drug
dependency. In the year between May 2012 and May 2013, the government
charged six prominent critics with possession of narcotics, the
British journal The Economist writes.
"But police only found the drugs after arresting the suspects: they
were far more interested in the defendants' political activities
than in any recreational highs. Drugs tests came back negative,"
the editorial notes and refers to international organization Human
Rights Watch.
According to the article, the drugs busts are another example of how
trumping-up charges-for drugs or weapons possession, hooliganism,
incitement or even treason-is a favoured Azerbaijani tactic to silence
government critics.
The government is intensifying its crackdown in the run-up to the
presidential elections on October 9th, HRW contends. In 2012 the
government released several journalists from prison. But since the
beginning of this year it has arrested at least six more. Azerbaijani
government uses threats, smear campaigns and violent attacks to force
them to toe the line, The Economist writes.
"Recent changes in legislation underline this trend. Fines for
participating in unauthorised protests have increased a hundredfold
over the last year. Minor public-order offences now carry maximum jail
sentences of 60 days, up from 15. A new law that criminalises online
defamation could lead to prison sentences of up to three years,"
the author of the article notes.
What is the government scared of? Although there are numerous
opposition parties, they are barely represented in parliament. Neither
the judiciary nor parliament acts offers much by way of checks or
balances on the government's power. A popular referendum in March 2009
removed the two-term limit on the presidency, enabling Mr Aliev to
stand for his third term next month. Defeat is unlikely even though
opposition demonstrations in 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring,
left Mr Aliev's government rattled.
According to The Economist, Inspired in part by Bidzina Ivanisvhili's
success in uniting opposition parties in neighbouring Georgia last
year, a score of different opposition parties formed the National
Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) in May 2013 in Azerbaijan. Their
preferred presidential candidate, Oscar-winning screenwriter Rustam
Ibrahimbekov, is a popular cultural figure. Yet Mr Ibrahimbekov
is a Russian as well as an Azerbaijani citizen. On August 27th
Azerbaijan's central election commission rejected his application to
register for the election, citing their dual citizenship laws and Mr
Ibragimbeyov's residence in Moscow. A second candidate, Camil Hasanli,
will run instead.
"Mr Ibrahimbekov travelled to Washington in June to plead for greater
international pressure on Azerbaijan to hold free and fair elections.
Some external observers have already arrived in Azerbaijan to monitor
the elections. That is a step in the right direction. After all,
what happens on Election Day is only the tip of the iceberg. Careful
manipulation of the electoral system can enable repressive governments
to steal elections long before the electorate has casts its vote,"
the author notes.
He wanders whether the observers will make any difference. Four
delegations of election observers monitored Azerbaijan's parliamentary
elections in 2010. Observers from the Council of Europe's Parliamentary
Assembly, perhaps seduced by "caviar diplomacy" of Baku, made
positive noises, to the consternation of civil society groups in
Azerbaijan. A far more negative assessment came from the Office of
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe. . The different conclusions
effectively cancelled each other out, according to the European
Stability Initiative, a think-tank. Although deeply fraudulent,
the 2010 parliamentary elections were quickly forgotten.
The Economist also notes that the European Union is pursuing closer
ties with Azerbaijan, based on energy resources and a commitment to
"shared values" (that only one side shares). Azerbaijan routinely
ignores EU criticism of its human-rights record. The Vilnius summit
on November 28th and 29th will point the direction of the future of
that relationship.
Source: Panorama.am
13:06 03/09/2013 " REGION
The Azerbaijani opposition's inability to wrest power from the
all-powerful regime of Ilham Aliev seems to have driven it into drug
dependency. In the year between May 2012 and May 2013, the government
charged six prominent critics with possession of narcotics, the
British journal The Economist writes.
"But police only found the drugs after arresting the suspects: they
were far more interested in the defendants' political activities
than in any recreational highs. Drugs tests came back negative,"
the editorial notes and refers to international organization Human
Rights Watch.
According to the article, the drugs busts are another example of how
trumping-up charges-for drugs or weapons possession, hooliganism,
incitement or even treason-is a favoured Azerbaijani tactic to silence
government critics.
The government is intensifying its crackdown in the run-up to the
presidential elections on October 9th, HRW contends. In 2012 the
government released several journalists from prison. But since the
beginning of this year it has arrested at least six more. Azerbaijani
government uses threats, smear campaigns and violent attacks to force
them to toe the line, The Economist writes.
"Recent changes in legislation underline this trend. Fines for
participating in unauthorised protests have increased a hundredfold
over the last year. Minor public-order offences now carry maximum jail
sentences of 60 days, up from 15. A new law that criminalises online
defamation could lead to prison sentences of up to three years,"
the author of the article notes.
What is the government scared of? Although there are numerous
opposition parties, they are barely represented in parliament. Neither
the judiciary nor parliament acts offers much by way of checks or
balances on the government's power. A popular referendum in March 2009
removed the two-term limit on the presidency, enabling Mr Aliev to
stand for his third term next month. Defeat is unlikely even though
opposition demonstrations in 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring,
left Mr Aliev's government rattled.
According to The Economist, Inspired in part by Bidzina Ivanisvhili's
success in uniting opposition parties in neighbouring Georgia last
year, a score of different opposition parties formed the National
Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) in May 2013 in Azerbaijan. Their
preferred presidential candidate, Oscar-winning screenwriter Rustam
Ibrahimbekov, is a popular cultural figure. Yet Mr Ibrahimbekov
is a Russian as well as an Azerbaijani citizen. On August 27th
Azerbaijan's central election commission rejected his application to
register for the election, citing their dual citizenship laws and Mr
Ibragimbeyov's residence in Moscow. A second candidate, Camil Hasanli,
will run instead.
"Mr Ibrahimbekov travelled to Washington in June to plead for greater
international pressure on Azerbaijan to hold free and fair elections.
Some external observers have already arrived in Azerbaijan to monitor
the elections. That is a step in the right direction. After all,
what happens on Election Day is only the tip of the iceberg. Careful
manipulation of the electoral system can enable repressive governments
to steal elections long before the electorate has casts its vote,"
the author notes.
He wanders whether the observers will make any difference. Four
delegations of election observers monitored Azerbaijan's parliamentary
elections in 2010. Observers from the Council of Europe's Parliamentary
Assembly, perhaps seduced by "caviar diplomacy" of Baku, made
positive noises, to the consternation of civil society groups in
Azerbaijan. A far more negative assessment came from the Office of
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe. . The different conclusions
effectively cancelled each other out, according to the European
Stability Initiative, a think-tank. Although deeply fraudulent,
the 2010 parliamentary elections were quickly forgotten.
The Economist also notes that the European Union is pursuing closer
ties with Azerbaijan, based on energy resources and a commitment to
"shared values" (that only one side shares). Azerbaijan routinely
ignores EU criticism of its human-rights record. The Vilnius summit
on November 28th and 29th will point the direction of the future of
that relationship.
Source: Panorama.am