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BAKU'S UNCHECKED ABUSES
Transitions Online, Czech Republic
June 27 2014
Recently banned from traveling abroad, leading Azerbaijani rights
activist Leyla Yunus says the West is turning a blind eye to the
Aliev regime's excesses.
by Shahla Sultanova27 June 2014
As director of the Baku-based Institute for Peace and Democracy,
Leyla Yunus has been the leading human rights activist in Azerbaijan
for nearly two decades. She is a vocal critic of President Ilham
Aliev and a longtime advocate of reconciliation with Armenia over
the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
On 28 April, preparing to board a flight to Qatar, Yunus and her
husband were detained at Baku's airport and held overnight. She was
subsequently banned from leaving the country, without being charged
with a crime.
The arrest, which prompted an international outcry, was part of a
sudden crackdown on dissent that took many in Azerbaijan by surprise,
coming as it did two weeks before the country took over the six-month
rotating chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council
of Europe, a prominent human rights body. Nine days prior to Yunus'
detention, authorities arrested journalist Rauf Mirkadirov, another
high-profile Aliev critic, on spying charges that the United States
called "troubling." In early May, eight youth activists from the NIDA
opposition group were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for
their role in a March 2013 protest in Baku.
Since succeeding his father, Heydar Aliev, in 2003, Ilham Aliev
has reigned over one of the most oppressive regimes in the former
Soviet Union. Rights watchdogs estimate that as many as 143 political
prisoners are behind bars, according to the U.S. State Department.
After Mirkadirov's arrest, Yunus publicly predicted that she would
soon be picked up.
TOL correspondent Shahla Sultanova recently talked to Yunus about
human rights in Azerbaijan, the irony of the country's Council of
Europe chairmanship, and whether the West is ignoring Baku's abuses
because of its energy wealth.
TOL: For the West, what is the significance of Azerbaijan today?
Leyla Yunus: İt depends on the circumstances and people. The West is
split between politicians, and journalists and human right defenders.
The latter group cares about democracy in other countries more than
the former. They work hard and do their best.
What about politicians in the West? Do they care about human rights
in Azerbaijan?
Politicians in the West vary. But if we take the Council of Europe,
a symbol of human rights and democracy, today we can "congratulate"
the council on its new chairman: Azerbaijan. The country has a lot
of political prisoners. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,
and Reporters Without Borders all report on this. But the West has
not sanctioned Azerbaijan. İt gives the regime a green light to be
even more repressive.
Why haven't western governments sanctioned Azerbaijan over political
prisoners?
Because of a few factors. The Council of Europe is more supportive
of the Azerbaijani government than the Azerbaijani people. There was
no rapporteur on political prisoners at the council until Christopher
Strasser, a German MP, was appointed in 2009. When Azerbaijan refused
to issue Mr. Strasser a visa, the Council of Europe tolerated this
and did nothing.
Many other [European politicians] are not aware of the situation in
Azerbaijan. It is difficult for nongovernmental organizations in
Azerbaijan to share the truth with the West. These factors play a
huge role in why the Council of Europe has trouble influencing the
Azerbaijani government on human rights. Now it is even being led
by Azerbaijan.
The relationship between Russia and the West has been strained
over Ukraine. Russia uses energy to pressure Western governments,
and it just cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine for the third time
since 2006. Is the West ignoring human rights abuses in Azerbaijan,
an oil and gas producer, because of concerns about energy security?
I would not say this, because Azerbaijan does not have large-scale gas
supplies. [Editor's note: Azerbaijan's proven natural gas reserves
rank 26th in the world at 35 trillion cubic feet, according to the
U.S. Energy Information Administration.] The winner is Iran. Iran will
be an important county in terms of energy. Europe and the U.S. are
focused on Ukraine. So the West cannot give its full attention to a
small country like Azerbaijan. The Aliev regime has taken advantage
of this by increasing repression of civic activists. Almost every
week someone from civil society is arrested, and many are on trial.
Which is more important for the West: energy or protecting human
rights in Azerbaijan?
This question is raised in local media almost every day. It is hard
to say what is more important for the West. But the truth is that the
human rights situation in Azerbaijan is getting worse. Human rights
are violated, the law is ignored, courts aren't independent. But the
West doesn't respond sufficiently. By the West I mean the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and
the European Union.
The government cracked down on you and other activists like those in
NIDA right as Azerbaijan took over the Council of Europe chairmanship.
Repression is nothing new in Azerbaijan, but the timing was a
surprise. Why did the government do this?
That is right. Azerbaijan started its chairmanship on 14 May. Perviz
Hashimli, a journalist, was sentenced to eight years in prison [on 15
May]. Soon afterward, on 26 May, Anar Mammadli, head of the Azerbaijani
Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, and his assistant,
Bashir Suleymanli, were sentenced to five and three years in prison,
respectively.
Arrests happen almost every day, and people arrested for their
political views are put on trial almost every day. This reflects the
Azerbaijani government's confidence that it won't face sanctions. When
he's in Brussels, President Aliev says there are no political
prisoners in Azerbaijan. He also says Azerbaijani courts are free and
[government officials] have no right to interfere. Neither politicians
nor journalists want to challenge him about it.
We cannot predict exactly how and where people will rise up against
their governments. But people grow opposed to corrupt, repressive
regimes, as happened in Ukraine and Egypt. This could be a good lesson
for the Aliev regime to start thinking about democratic elections,
but instead they choose to be more repressive. They arrest and question
young people to intimidate the population. They act like this because
they are insecure and know the nation hates them.
How far will it go? When will the abuses end?
We need to have freedom of expression and free thought to end it.
Journalists, bloggers, and activists are certainly key, and the role
of citizens is no less important. Citizens should feel and act like
citizens, not slaves. They should defend their rights. According to
[the Institute for Peace and Democracy's] list, there are more than
130 political prisoners in the country. Their families fight for them
until they are sentenced. But then they stop - they do not continue
the struggle.
NIDA, Anar Mammadli, and other civic activists, journalists, and
bloggers are not enough to challenge the government. The will of the
people is necessary.
Will Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Council of Europe change
anything?
No, nothing will change. That is certain. It will get even worse. I
expect more repression. People expect amnesties. That will not
happen either.
You said citizens are key to building democracy in Azerbaijan. But
they aren't very politically active. Why?
First, because of the economy. Life in Azerbaijan is hard. All the
money goes to one family, one clan. Unemployment is high. And people
can hardly find a job to meet their families' daily needs. The salaries
of teachers and health care workers range from 100 euros to 300 euros
[$136 to $409] a month.
The second reason is fear. Parents see young people being arrested for
just trying to protect their rights at universities and so encourage
their children to stay away from any political activity.
Shahla Sultanova is a freelance journalist in Baku.
http://www.tol.org/client/article/24361-bakus-unchecked-abuses.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Transitions Online, Czech Republic
June 27 2014
Recently banned from traveling abroad, leading Azerbaijani rights
activist Leyla Yunus says the West is turning a blind eye to the
Aliev regime's excesses.
by Shahla Sultanova27 June 2014
As director of the Baku-based Institute for Peace and Democracy,
Leyla Yunus has been the leading human rights activist in Azerbaijan
for nearly two decades. She is a vocal critic of President Ilham
Aliev and a longtime advocate of reconciliation with Armenia over
the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
On 28 April, preparing to board a flight to Qatar, Yunus and her
husband were detained at Baku's airport and held overnight. She was
subsequently banned from leaving the country, without being charged
with a crime.
The arrest, which prompted an international outcry, was part of a
sudden crackdown on dissent that took many in Azerbaijan by surprise,
coming as it did two weeks before the country took over the six-month
rotating chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council
of Europe, a prominent human rights body. Nine days prior to Yunus'
detention, authorities arrested journalist Rauf Mirkadirov, another
high-profile Aliev critic, on spying charges that the United States
called "troubling." In early May, eight youth activists from the NIDA
opposition group were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for
their role in a March 2013 protest in Baku.
Since succeeding his father, Heydar Aliev, in 2003, Ilham Aliev
has reigned over one of the most oppressive regimes in the former
Soviet Union. Rights watchdogs estimate that as many as 143 political
prisoners are behind bars, according to the U.S. State Department.
After Mirkadirov's arrest, Yunus publicly predicted that she would
soon be picked up.
TOL correspondent Shahla Sultanova recently talked to Yunus about
human rights in Azerbaijan, the irony of the country's Council of
Europe chairmanship, and whether the West is ignoring Baku's abuses
because of its energy wealth.
TOL: For the West, what is the significance of Azerbaijan today?
Leyla Yunus: İt depends on the circumstances and people. The West is
split between politicians, and journalists and human right defenders.
The latter group cares about democracy in other countries more than
the former. They work hard and do their best.
What about politicians in the West? Do they care about human rights
in Azerbaijan?
Politicians in the West vary. But if we take the Council of Europe,
a symbol of human rights and democracy, today we can "congratulate"
the council on its new chairman: Azerbaijan. The country has a lot
of political prisoners. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,
and Reporters Without Borders all report on this. But the West has
not sanctioned Azerbaijan. İt gives the regime a green light to be
even more repressive.
Why haven't western governments sanctioned Azerbaijan over political
prisoners?
Because of a few factors. The Council of Europe is more supportive
of the Azerbaijani government than the Azerbaijani people. There was
no rapporteur on political prisoners at the council until Christopher
Strasser, a German MP, was appointed in 2009. When Azerbaijan refused
to issue Mr. Strasser a visa, the Council of Europe tolerated this
and did nothing.
Many other [European politicians] are not aware of the situation in
Azerbaijan. It is difficult for nongovernmental organizations in
Azerbaijan to share the truth with the West. These factors play a
huge role in why the Council of Europe has trouble influencing the
Azerbaijani government on human rights. Now it is even being led
by Azerbaijan.
The relationship between Russia and the West has been strained
over Ukraine. Russia uses energy to pressure Western governments,
and it just cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine for the third time
since 2006. Is the West ignoring human rights abuses in Azerbaijan,
an oil and gas producer, because of concerns about energy security?
I would not say this, because Azerbaijan does not have large-scale gas
supplies. [Editor's note: Azerbaijan's proven natural gas reserves
rank 26th in the world at 35 trillion cubic feet, according to the
U.S. Energy Information Administration.] The winner is Iran. Iran will
be an important county in terms of energy. Europe and the U.S. are
focused on Ukraine. So the West cannot give its full attention to a
small country like Azerbaijan. The Aliev regime has taken advantage
of this by increasing repression of civic activists. Almost every
week someone from civil society is arrested, and many are on trial.
Which is more important for the West: energy or protecting human
rights in Azerbaijan?
This question is raised in local media almost every day. It is hard
to say what is more important for the West. But the truth is that the
human rights situation in Azerbaijan is getting worse. Human rights
are violated, the law is ignored, courts aren't independent. But the
West doesn't respond sufficiently. By the West I mean the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and
the European Union.
The government cracked down on you and other activists like those in
NIDA right as Azerbaijan took over the Council of Europe chairmanship.
Repression is nothing new in Azerbaijan, but the timing was a
surprise. Why did the government do this?
That is right. Azerbaijan started its chairmanship on 14 May. Perviz
Hashimli, a journalist, was sentenced to eight years in prison [on 15
May]. Soon afterward, on 26 May, Anar Mammadli, head of the Azerbaijani
Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, and his assistant,
Bashir Suleymanli, were sentenced to five and three years in prison,
respectively.
Arrests happen almost every day, and people arrested for their
political views are put on trial almost every day. This reflects the
Azerbaijani government's confidence that it won't face sanctions. When
he's in Brussels, President Aliev says there are no political
prisoners in Azerbaijan. He also says Azerbaijani courts are free and
[government officials] have no right to interfere. Neither politicians
nor journalists want to challenge him about it.
We cannot predict exactly how and where people will rise up against
their governments. But people grow opposed to corrupt, repressive
regimes, as happened in Ukraine and Egypt. This could be a good lesson
for the Aliev regime to start thinking about democratic elections,
but instead they choose to be more repressive. They arrest and question
young people to intimidate the population. They act like this because
they are insecure and know the nation hates them.
How far will it go? When will the abuses end?
We need to have freedom of expression and free thought to end it.
Journalists, bloggers, and activists are certainly key, and the role
of citizens is no less important. Citizens should feel and act like
citizens, not slaves. They should defend their rights. According to
[the Institute for Peace and Democracy's] list, there are more than
130 political prisoners in the country. Their families fight for them
until they are sentenced. But then they stop - they do not continue
the struggle.
NIDA, Anar Mammadli, and other civic activists, journalists, and
bloggers are not enough to challenge the government. The will of the
people is necessary.
Will Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Council of Europe change
anything?
No, nothing will change. That is certain. It will get even worse. I
expect more repression. People expect amnesties. That will not
happen either.
You said citizens are key to building democracy in Azerbaijan. But
they aren't very politically active. Why?
First, because of the economy. Life in Azerbaijan is hard. All the
money goes to one family, one clan. Unemployment is high. And people
can hardly find a job to meet their families' daily needs. The salaries
of teachers and health care workers range from 100 euros to 300 euros
[$136 to $409] a month.
The second reason is fear. Parents see young people being arrested for
just trying to protect their rights at universities and so encourage
their children to stay away from any political activity.
Shahla Sultanova is a freelance journalist in Baku.
http://www.tol.org/client/article/24361-bakus-unchecked-abuses.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress