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DEPUTY DIRECTOR "HRW" EUROPE AND ASIA: "AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES REFER TO CRITICISM PRIMITIVELY AND NARROW-MINDEDLY"
13:37 11/09/2013 " IN THE WORLD
Rachel Denber, Human Rights Watch's Deputy Director of the Europe
and Central Asia Division, commented in an interview given to "Turan"
on critics of the official Baku which blame the organization in being
"biased and prejudiced."
"It was strange to hear all these allegations and to realize that
the Azerbaijani authorities refer to criticism so primitively and
narrow-mindedly. Why should the call to improve the state of human
rights be regarded as support for the enemies?" she said.
Agency reminds that the Azerbaijani government has expressed its
dissatisfaction with the last report of the organization. The report
speaks about the suppression of civil society by the authorities of
Azerbaijan on the eve of the presidential election.
Representatives of official Baku accused "HRW" of cooperation with
the enemies of Azerbaijan and the Armenian lobby.
"Our report was on a crackdown on fundamental rights--freedom of
expression, association, and assembly--that's been under way for the
past 18 months. It's a crackdown that started well over a year ago
but intensified as the election drew nearer," she noted.
When asked how the country should improve its human rights record
now, she answered, the first step should be for the government
to acknowledge that many of the activists whose cases were very
carefully detailed in our report were arrested on flimsy grounds and
to release them.
According to her, in this way the government of Azerbaijan "will show
that it is serious about investigating attacks and threats against
investigative journalists," she added.
In early September, "Human Rights Watch" released another report
on Azerbaijan, which read that In the run-up to the presidential
elections, the Azerbaijani authorities deliberately carry out the
strategy of arbitrary restriction of dissent.
Source: Panorama.am
13:37 11/09/2013 " IN THE WORLD
Rachel Denber, Human Rights Watch's Deputy Director of the Europe
and Central Asia Division, commented in an interview given to "Turan"
on critics of the official Baku which blame the organization in being
"biased and prejudiced."
"It was strange to hear all these allegations and to realize that
the Azerbaijani authorities refer to criticism so primitively and
narrow-mindedly. Why should the call to improve the state of human
rights be regarded as support for the enemies?" she said.
Agency reminds that the Azerbaijani government has expressed its
dissatisfaction with the last report of the organization. The report
speaks about the suppression of civil society by the authorities of
Azerbaijan on the eve of the presidential election.
Representatives of official Baku accused "HRW" of cooperation with
the enemies of Azerbaijan and the Armenian lobby.
"Our report was on a crackdown on fundamental rights--freedom of
expression, association, and assembly--that's been under way for the
past 18 months. It's a crackdown that started well over a year ago
but intensified as the election drew nearer," she noted.
When asked how the country should improve its human rights record
now, she answered, the first step should be for the government
to acknowledge that many of the activists whose cases were very
carefully detailed in our report were arrested on flimsy grounds and
to release them.
According to her, in this way the government of Azerbaijan "will show
that it is serious about investigating attacks and threats against
investigative journalists," she added.
In early September, "Human Rights Watch" released another report
on Azerbaijan, which read that In the run-up to the presidential
elections, the Azerbaijani authorities deliberately carry out the
strategy of arbitrary restriction of dissent.
Source: Panorama.am