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Azerbaijan 'makes mockery of democratic aspirations' in civil society
crackdown, says OSCE PA human rights chair
Saturday, August 2, 15:44
Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian
Questions, today deplored the intensifying crackdown on civil society
in Azerbaijan and called on authorities to quickly reverse the trend.
"With this latest round of attacks on the country's civil society,
Azerbaijan is making a mockery of its stated aspirations to become a
modern, democratic state. I am shocked by developments that have
occurred in the last several days alone -- namely, the barring of
human rights activist Rasul Jafarov from leaving the country and the
clearly politicized charges against Leyla Yunus and her husband,"
Santos said.
"The fact that these and other disturbing developments have come less
than a month after Baku hosted the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's
Annual Session makes them all the more shameful. I call on
Azerbaijan's authorities to take their OSCE human rights commitments
seriously and immediately reverse this downward spiral," Santos added.
The PA's human rights chair also referred to a clause in the Baku
Declaration, the final document approved by Parliamentarians from
across the OSCE area at the conclusion of the recent Annual Session,
that "expresses concern at the misuse of administrative procedures and
legislation to detain, imprison, intimidate or otherwise silence human
rights defenders and critics in numerous OSCE participating States,
including Azerbaijan:"
Activist Rasul Jafarov, the chair of the Legal Protection and
Awareness Society, has worked to bring human rights violations in
Azerbaijan to the attention of the international community. His ban on
traveling abroad was revealed this week when he attempted to cross
into Georgia. His bank account has also been frozen and he has been
subject to official harassment. Jafarov was one of several leading
activists who assisted Santos in organizing a side event on
fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan at the OSCE PA Annual Session. The
event was attended by prominent Azerbaijani MPs, who actively engaged
in discussion on the topics raised.
Leyla Yunus, the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy in
Azerbaijan, and her husband, Arif Yunus, were arrested on 30 July on
charges of treason, tax evasion and other financial crimes. The NGO
defends political prisoners, exposes corruption and promotes
people-to-people exchanges between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The OSCE PA's human rights chair also expressed concern over the
sentencing last month of Azerbaijani education activist and NGO leader
Hasan Huseynli to six years in prison on trumped up charges.
Santos also noted with regret the announcement that independent
Azerbaijani newspaper "Azadliq" has been forced to suspend publishing
due to financial problems. The newspaper has faced official pressure
apparently in connection to its reporting on corruption. She described
the development as "another blow to the already state-dominated media
landscape."
Santos further reiterated her intention to visit jailed Azerbaijani
rights defender Anar Mammadli, the Chairman of the Election Monitoring
and Democracy Studies Centre. In early June, she formally requested
permission to visit Mammadli during the OSCE PA Annual Session in
Baku, but has yet to receive a response from the authorities.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=6CFDB870-1A3A-11E4-947A0EB7C0D21663
crackdown, says OSCE PA human rights chair
Saturday, August 2, 15:44
Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian
Questions, today deplored the intensifying crackdown on civil society
in Azerbaijan and called on authorities to quickly reverse the trend.
"With this latest round of attacks on the country's civil society,
Azerbaijan is making a mockery of its stated aspirations to become a
modern, democratic state. I am shocked by developments that have
occurred in the last several days alone -- namely, the barring of
human rights activist Rasul Jafarov from leaving the country and the
clearly politicized charges against Leyla Yunus and her husband,"
Santos said.
"The fact that these and other disturbing developments have come less
than a month after Baku hosted the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's
Annual Session makes them all the more shameful. I call on
Azerbaijan's authorities to take their OSCE human rights commitments
seriously and immediately reverse this downward spiral," Santos added.
The PA's human rights chair also referred to a clause in the Baku
Declaration, the final document approved by Parliamentarians from
across the OSCE area at the conclusion of the recent Annual Session,
that "expresses concern at the misuse of administrative procedures and
legislation to detain, imprison, intimidate or otherwise silence human
rights defenders and critics in numerous OSCE participating States,
including Azerbaijan:"
Activist Rasul Jafarov, the chair of the Legal Protection and
Awareness Society, has worked to bring human rights violations in
Azerbaijan to the attention of the international community. His ban on
traveling abroad was revealed this week when he attempted to cross
into Georgia. His bank account has also been frozen and he has been
subject to official harassment. Jafarov was one of several leading
activists who assisted Santos in organizing a side event on
fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan at the OSCE PA Annual Session. The
event was attended by prominent Azerbaijani MPs, who actively engaged
in discussion on the topics raised.
Leyla Yunus, the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy in
Azerbaijan, and her husband, Arif Yunus, were arrested on 30 July on
charges of treason, tax evasion and other financial crimes. The NGO
defends political prisoners, exposes corruption and promotes
people-to-people exchanges between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The OSCE PA's human rights chair also expressed concern over the
sentencing last month of Azerbaijani education activist and NGO leader
Hasan Huseynli to six years in prison on trumped up charges.
Santos also noted with regret the announcement that independent
Azerbaijani newspaper "Azadliq" has been forced to suspend publishing
due to financial problems. The newspaper has faced official pressure
apparently in connection to its reporting on corruption. She described
the development as "another blow to the already state-dominated media
landscape."
Santos further reiterated her intention to visit jailed Azerbaijani
rights defender Anar Mammadli, the Chairman of the Election Monitoring
and Democracy Studies Centre. In early June, she formally requested
permission to visit Mammadli during the OSCE PA Annual Session in
Baku, but has yet to receive a response from the authorities.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=6CFDB870-1A3A-11E4-947A0EB7C0D21663