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AZERBAIJAN: TREASON AND OTHER CHARADES
Al-Jazeera, Qatar
April 30 2014
The arrest of a leading political activist is another sign the oil-rich
country is nowhere near democracy.
Last updated: 30 Apr 2014 10:13 Arzu Geybullayeva
Azerbaijan's leadership takes great pride in its achievements since
the fall of the Soviet Union. The country's wealth stems from the
millions of barrels of oil pumped daily through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline. However, there is a hidden side to this fast modernising
Muslim nation on the shores of the Caspian Sea, which touts itself
as the "European charm of the orient".
The arrest of Azerbaijani activist Leyla Yunus at Baku Haydar Aliyev
Airport on April 28, has highlighted Azerbaijan's questionable
record on press freedom and human rights. The 58-year-old Yunus,
recognised regionally for her pro-democracy activism, was released
after spending one night in jail but her passport was confiscated,
although she has not been charged with any crime.
In stark contrast to Baku's efforts to be viewed internationally as
a leading democracy in the region, the country has been criticised
by Human Rights Watch for its dubious election practises, ongoing
violent crackdown on freedom of expression and its deteriorating
human rights record.
Who is Leyla Yunus?
In the late 1980s, Yunus was an active member of the nascent democratic
movement in the country. She is one of the founders of Azerbaijan's
Social Democrats Party and the Azerbaijan Popular Front - two important
political formations which played a pivotal role in the country's
early years of independence. During the early 1990s, Yunus headed
the information and analytical centre at the Ministry of Defence.
As a human rights advocate, Yunus' focus has always been on political
prisoners. The founder and director of the Peace and Democracy
Institute, a Baku-based non-governmental organisation, she has
been an outspoken opponent of the growing intimidation and pressure
over individual and fundamental freedoms in the country. She is the
recipient of several prestigious awards for her invaluable work in
the field of human rights advocacy and courage - including France's
Legion of Honour and Germany's Theodor Haecher Prize.
Apart from her advocacy work, Yunus has also been involved in a number
of cross-border initiatives with neighbouring Armenia ever since the
ceasefire was signed between the two countries in 1994. The conflict,
which erupted at the end of the 1980s, may have ended but tensions
remain. As a result, a number of public figures and journalists
have been engaged in what is now known as "track two" diplomacy
or people-to-people diplomacy. Yunus and the Peace and Democracy
Institute have spearheaded such efforts.
Apart from her advocacy work, Yunus has also been involved in a number
of cross-border initiatives with neighbouring Armenia ever since the
ceasefire was signed between the two countries in 1994.
Whether it was her advocacy work or her involvement in track two
initiatives which resulted in Yunus' detention, it is not yet clear.
However, in light of the recent arrest of another well-known public
diplomacy advocate and respected journalist, Rauf Mirkadirov, it
might well be the latter.
Mirkadirov, who was based in Turkey for the past four years and was
the Azerbaijani correspondent for the local Azerbaijani Zerkalo/Ayna
newspaper, was deported to Azerbaijan on April 19. In Baku, he was
arrested and placed in a three-month pretrial detention pending further
investigation. He is charged with treason, the gravest of crimes in
Azerbaijan. He is accused of supplying valuable information between
2008 and 2009 to the Armenian Ministry of Defence and is facing a
possible life sentence if convicted.
Mirkadirov is known as an outspoken critic of the Baku government and
his move to Turkey four years ago was the result of mounting pressure
on the journalist and his family in Azerbaijan.
Following Mirkadirov's arrest, Yunus feared the approaching storm
and made a public statement where she said her arrest was imminent.
'They will do it for treason'
"It would be funny to arrest me with drug charges. So, they will
do it for treason, since these cases are considered behind closed
doors," she was quoted as saying to the local broadcast of Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty.She was briefly detained a week after her
statement when she and her husband were on their way abroad.
Upon arrival at the airport, Yunus and her husband were first stopped
at the border control. She was informed she was barred from leaving
the country although no such notice was given to her at any time
prior to her departure. It was only following the intervention from
representatives of the French and US embassies who accompanied the
Yunus family to the airport that their passports were stamped and
they were let through.
However, as the couple was about to board the plane, they were stopped
yet again, this time with no explanation and were held at the airport
from 11pm until 3am on April 28. According to a statement by Yunus
given on the phone from the airport, their luggage was searched,
their passports were taken away from them (as of April 30, their
passports remain with the authorities), and her personal laptop was
confiscated as well as her personal documents and letters.
"They even went through my underwear," she said, "as they searched
through my personal belongings still with no official document". At
the airport, Yunus was informed that her house and office would be
searched as well.
In the early hours of the morning, Yunus was taken into questioning,
without a warrant, at the prosecutor's office. She was questioned
about her work but mostly about her relations with Mirkadirov and
their joint activities, Yunus said in a press statement following
her release. Shortly after her questioning, Yunus' office and home
were searched. Several documents were confiscated from the couple's
apartment during the search.
Yunus' lawyer Farid Bagirov, who also represents Mirkadirov, explained
the reasons behind the searches. As it turns out, Yunus is listed as
the key witness in Mirkadirov's case. But according to Bagirov, this
still does not explain why Yunus' family was stopped at the border.
Exhausted from a sleepless night, Yunus said the motive behind this
inquiry is the same as it has been in many other previous cases:
"To eliminate remaining advocates by accusing us with an insane crime."
Yunus might just be right. It is clear that the arrest of Mirkadirov
and this recent incident with Yunus show very strong evidence of the
Azerbaijani government's issues with freedom of expression and its
widely criticised poor human rights record in general. It is not
surprising that a country run by the same family since 1993, with
a record of disputed elections and with a strong grip on power, is
trying to silence any form of dissent in order to maintain its status
quo. What is disturbing, however, is the silence of the international
community so long as the country continues to provide energy to keep
everyone safe and warm.
Arzu Geybullayeva is a political analyst for the Caucasus region
and a specialist in human rights and press freedom in Azerbaijan,
and blogs at flyingcarpetsandbrokenpipelines.blogspot.com.
1242
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not
necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/azerbaijan-treason-other-charad-201443071951458121.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Al-Jazeera, Qatar
April 30 2014
The arrest of a leading political activist is another sign the oil-rich
country is nowhere near democracy.
Last updated: 30 Apr 2014 10:13 Arzu Geybullayeva
Azerbaijan's leadership takes great pride in its achievements since
the fall of the Soviet Union. The country's wealth stems from the
millions of barrels of oil pumped daily through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline. However, there is a hidden side to this fast modernising
Muslim nation on the shores of the Caspian Sea, which touts itself
as the "European charm of the orient".
The arrest of Azerbaijani activist Leyla Yunus at Baku Haydar Aliyev
Airport on April 28, has highlighted Azerbaijan's questionable
record on press freedom and human rights. The 58-year-old Yunus,
recognised regionally for her pro-democracy activism, was released
after spending one night in jail but her passport was confiscated,
although she has not been charged with any crime.
In stark contrast to Baku's efforts to be viewed internationally as
a leading democracy in the region, the country has been criticised
by Human Rights Watch for its dubious election practises, ongoing
violent crackdown on freedom of expression and its deteriorating
human rights record.
Who is Leyla Yunus?
In the late 1980s, Yunus was an active member of the nascent democratic
movement in the country. She is one of the founders of Azerbaijan's
Social Democrats Party and the Azerbaijan Popular Front - two important
political formations which played a pivotal role in the country's
early years of independence. During the early 1990s, Yunus headed
the information and analytical centre at the Ministry of Defence.
As a human rights advocate, Yunus' focus has always been on political
prisoners. The founder and director of the Peace and Democracy
Institute, a Baku-based non-governmental organisation, she has
been an outspoken opponent of the growing intimidation and pressure
over individual and fundamental freedoms in the country. She is the
recipient of several prestigious awards for her invaluable work in
the field of human rights advocacy and courage - including France's
Legion of Honour and Germany's Theodor Haecher Prize.
Apart from her advocacy work, Yunus has also been involved in a number
of cross-border initiatives with neighbouring Armenia ever since the
ceasefire was signed between the two countries in 1994. The conflict,
which erupted at the end of the 1980s, may have ended but tensions
remain. As a result, a number of public figures and journalists
have been engaged in what is now known as "track two" diplomacy
or people-to-people diplomacy. Yunus and the Peace and Democracy
Institute have spearheaded such efforts.
Apart from her advocacy work, Yunus has also been involved in a number
of cross-border initiatives with neighbouring Armenia ever since the
ceasefire was signed between the two countries in 1994.
Whether it was her advocacy work or her involvement in track two
initiatives which resulted in Yunus' detention, it is not yet clear.
However, in light of the recent arrest of another well-known public
diplomacy advocate and respected journalist, Rauf Mirkadirov, it
might well be the latter.
Mirkadirov, who was based in Turkey for the past four years and was
the Azerbaijani correspondent for the local Azerbaijani Zerkalo/Ayna
newspaper, was deported to Azerbaijan on April 19. In Baku, he was
arrested and placed in a three-month pretrial detention pending further
investigation. He is charged with treason, the gravest of crimes in
Azerbaijan. He is accused of supplying valuable information between
2008 and 2009 to the Armenian Ministry of Defence and is facing a
possible life sentence if convicted.
Mirkadirov is known as an outspoken critic of the Baku government and
his move to Turkey four years ago was the result of mounting pressure
on the journalist and his family in Azerbaijan.
Following Mirkadirov's arrest, Yunus feared the approaching storm
and made a public statement where she said her arrest was imminent.
'They will do it for treason'
"It would be funny to arrest me with drug charges. So, they will
do it for treason, since these cases are considered behind closed
doors," she was quoted as saying to the local broadcast of Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty.She was briefly detained a week after her
statement when she and her husband were on their way abroad.
Upon arrival at the airport, Yunus and her husband were first stopped
at the border control. She was informed she was barred from leaving
the country although no such notice was given to her at any time
prior to her departure. It was only following the intervention from
representatives of the French and US embassies who accompanied the
Yunus family to the airport that their passports were stamped and
they were let through.
However, as the couple was about to board the plane, they were stopped
yet again, this time with no explanation and were held at the airport
from 11pm until 3am on April 28. According to a statement by Yunus
given on the phone from the airport, their luggage was searched,
their passports were taken away from them (as of April 30, their
passports remain with the authorities), and her personal laptop was
confiscated as well as her personal documents and letters.
"They even went through my underwear," she said, "as they searched
through my personal belongings still with no official document". At
the airport, Yunus was informed that her house and office would be
searched as well.
In the early hours of the morning, Yunus was taken into questioning,
without a warrant, at the prosecutor's office. She was questioned
about her work but mostly about her relations with Mirkadirov and
their joint activities, Yunus said in a press statement following
her release. Shortly after her questioning, Yunus' office and home
were searched. Several documents were confiscated from the couple's
apartment during the search.
Yunus' lawyer Farid Bagirov, who also represents Mirkadirov, explained
the reasons behind the searches. As it turns out, Yunus is listed as
the key witness in Mirkadirov's case. But according to Bagirov, this
still does not explain why Yunus' family was stopped at the border.
Exhausted from a sleepless night, Yunus said the motive behind this
inquiry is the same as it has been in many other previous cases:
"To eliminate remaining advocates by accusing us with an insane crime."
Yunus might just be right. It is clear that the arrest of Mirkadirov
and this recent incident with Yunus show very strong evidence of the
Azerbaijani government's issues with freedom of expression and its
widely criticised poor human rights record in general. It is not
surprising that a country run by the same family since 1993, with
a record of disputed elections and with a strong grip on power, is
trying to silence any form of dissent in order to maintain its status
quo. What is disturbing, however, is the silence of the international
community so long as the country continues to provide energy to keep
everyone safe and warm.
Arzu Geybullayeva is a political analyst for the Caucasus region
and a specialist in human rights and press freedom in Azerbaijan,
and blogs at flyingcarpetsandbrokenpipelines.blogspot.com.
1242
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not
necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/azerbaijan-treason-other-charad-201443071951458121.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress