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RADIO LIBERTY: CREDIBILITY OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE IS AT STAKE AS AZERBAIJAN TAKES OVER CHAIRMANSHIP OF COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
23:23 14/05/2014 Â" REGION
Azerbaijan takes over the chairmanship of the Council of Europe's
Committee of Ministers on May 14, 2014, following years of relentless
crackdown on criticism, the statement released by Human Rights Watch
international organization and placed in its official website reads.
"The Council of Europe is the region's foremost human rights body,
but Azerbaijan's chairmanship comes at a time when the government is
blatantly flouting the organization's core standards. The Council
of Europe should make clear to Azerbaijan that it needs to free
unjustly imprisoned government critics and undertake far-reaching
rights reform" said Giorgi Gogia, senior South Caucasus researcher
at Human Rights Watch.
The organization notes that in the past two years, Azerbaijani
authorities have brought unfounded criminal charges against at least 38
political activists, journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders,
most of whom are behind bars.
The circumstances of the criminal investigations and numerous
violations in legal proceedings leave little doubt that the charges
against these critics are bogus and intended to punish them for
their activities.
A competent publication the Economist has also addressed the
forthcoming chairmanship of Azerbaijan in Council of Europe's Committee
of Ministers. According to the article, few people worry about which
country chairs the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe
but with Azerbaijan one should worry.
As the article reads, Azerbaijan is rich in oil resources but the
progress is an issue yet. Rigged elections and suppression of internal
dissent mean that Azerbaijan's democracy is little more than a sham.
The author states that Europe and the United States, reliant on
Azerbaijan's energy supplies, have largely looked the other way and
the fact that Baku's "caviar diplomacy" has been winning is alarming.
Baku has actually stepped up its suppression of internal dissent in
recent weeks. Dozens of youth activists have been imprisoned since
January, supposedly for illegal arms possession and plotting mass
disorder. The authorities as well detained two prominent human rights
defenders on bogus espionage charges.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on its turn, notes that Council
of Europe is described as Europe's top human rights body. However,
according to human rights activists the credibility of Council
of Europe is at stake, as from May 14 Azerbaijan takes over the
chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.
"Azerbaijan's human rights record has been quite appalling for a number
of years, and since the presidential elections in October last year
it got even worse," Denis Krivosheev, Europe and Central Asia Deputy
Director at Amnesty International said.
According to him, people are imprisoned on false allegations for
nothing other than trying to speak out against the government. "We
are very seriously concerned that this is happening at a time when
Azerbaijan is about to become the chair of the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe," Denis Krivosheev said.
The article reads that 10 journalists are currently behind bars in
Azerbaijan on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Earlier
this month, a court sentenced 8 members of the youth organization NIDA
to jail in terms ranging between 6 and 8 years. Human rights defender
Leyla Yunus and her husband as well were detained, an Azerbaijani
journalist Rauf Mirkadirov was arrested and accused of conducting
espionage for Armenia. The Institute for Peace and Democracy notes
that 130 people are currently jailed in the country for speaking out
against the authorities.
Note that earlier Reporters without Borders organization in defense
of the press made a statement which notes that Azerbaijan takes over
the chairmanship of Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers with
the worst level of press freedom index among 47 countries.
Source: Panorama.am
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
23:23 14/05/2014 Â" REGION
Azerbaijan takes over the chairmanship of the Council of Europe's
Committee of Ministers on May 14, 2014, following years of relentless
crackdown on criticism, the statement released by Human Rights Watch
international organization and placed in its official website reads.
"The Council of Europe is the region's foremost human rights body,
but Azerbaijan's chairmanship comes at a time when the government is
blatantly flouting the organization's core standards. The Council
of Europe should make clear to Azerbaijan that it needs to free
unjustly imprisoned government critics and undertake far-reaching
rights reform" said Giorgi Gogia, senior South Caucasus researcher
at Human Rights Watch.
The organization notes that in the past two years, Azerbaijani
authorities have brought unfounded criminal charges against at least 38
political activists, journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders,
most of whom are behind bars.
The circumstances of the criminal investigations and numerous
violations in legal proceedings leave little doubt that the charges
against these critics are bogus and intended to punish them for
their activities.
A competent publication the Economist has also addressed the
forthcoming chairmanship of Azerbaijan in Council of Europe's Committee
of Ministers. According to the article, few people worry about which
country chairs the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe
but with Azerbaijan one should worry.
As the article reads, Azerbaijan is rich in oil resources but the
progress is an issue yet. Rigged elections and suppression of internal
dissent mean that Azerbaijan's democracy is little more than a sham.
The author states that Europe and the United States, reliant on
Azerbaijan's energy supplies, have largely looked the other way and
the fact that Baku's "caviar diplomacy" has been winning is alarming.
Baku has actually stepped up its suppression of internal dissent in
recent weeks. Dozens of youth activists have been imprisoned since
January, supposedly for illegal arms possession and plotting mass
disorder. The authorities as well detained two prominent human rights
defenders on bogus espionage charges.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on its turn, notes that Council
of Europe is described as Europe's top human rights body. However,
according to human rights activists the credibility of Council
of Europe is at stake, as from May 14 Azerbaijan takes over the
chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.
"Azerbaijan's human rights record has been quite appalling for a number
of years, and since the presidential elections in October last year
it got even worse," Denis Krivosheev, Europe and Central Asia Deputy
Director at Amnesty International said.
According to him, people are imprisoned on false allegations for
nothing other than trying to speak out against the government. "We
are very seriously concerned that this is happening at a time when
Azerbaijan is about to become the chair of the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe," Denis Krivosheev said.
The article reads that 10 journalists are currently behind bars in
Azerbaijan on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Earlier
this month, a court sentenced 8 members of the youth organization NIDA
to jail in terms ranging between 6 and 8 years. Human rights defender
Leyla Yunus and her husband as well were detained, an Azerbaijani
journalist Rauf Mirkadirov was arrested and accused of conducting
espionage for Armenia. The Institute for Peace and Democracy notes
that 130 people are currently jailed in the country for speaking out
against the authorities.
Note that earlier Reporters without Borders organization in defense
of the press made a statement which notes that Azerbaijan takes over
the chairmanship of Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers with
the worst level of press freedom index among 47 countries.
Source: Panorama.am
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress