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Azerbaijan's Rights Activists on the Brink

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  • Azerbaijan's Rights Activists on the Brink

    Azeri Report
    Nov 16 2014

    Azerbaijan's Rights Activists on the Brink

    By Vugar Gojayev, Eurasianet.org


    BAKU. November 15, 2014: When Azerbaijan served as chair of the
    Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, it scoffed at the spirit
    and purpose of the organization and moved vigorously to squash all
    forms of free speech at home. Now that Baku no longer holds the top
    spot, civil society activists are worrying about what Azerbaijani
    authorities will do next.

    All civil society actors in Azerbaijan currently are grappling with a
    daunting dilemma: either stop engaging in rights-related activism or
    pay a high price, in particular face the prospect of criminal
    prosecution. Dozens of activists and independent journalists remain
    behind bars for no reason other than engaging in rights work or
    tacitly promoting free speech. At the moment, the country's jails hold
    at least 90 political prisoners, almost double the number in Belarus
    and Russia combined. These prisoners of conscience face a variety of
    cooked-up charges, including hooliganism, drug possession, tax evasion
    and treason.

    Azerbaijan relinquished its Committee of Ministers chairmanship on
    November 13. Far from softening its repressive behavior and cleaning
    up its awful rights record during its six-month tenure, the government
    stepped up its suppression of internal dissent. At least 13 activists
    were arrested and at least 10 others were convicted on politically
    motivated charges following flawed trials. Authorities rounded up the
    country's most senior human rights defenders and other leading
    activists, including Leyla Yunus, veteran human rights defender and
    director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and her husband,
    the political commentator Arif Yunus. They also detained Rasul
    Jafarov, chairman of Azerbaijan's Human Rights Club, Intigam Aliyev,
    prominent lawyer and chairman of the Legal Education Society, and the
    famous opposition journalist Seymur Haziyev.

    Some of those detained in recent months have serious health
    conditions. Yet, authorities keep them locked up, even as they fail to
    provide any information to suggest that pre-trial detention is
    warranted. They also have not released any credible evidence that
    would support the charges against these recent detainees.

    In addition to politically motivated arrests, dozens of draconian laws
    regulating the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
    have been adopted. The offices of several local and international NGOs
    were recently raided, their bank accounts frozen and staff
    interrogated. As a result of increasing pressure, many groups have
    felt compelled to cease operations.

    While the Azerbaijani government has been ruthless in its clampdown,
    it remains sensitive about its public image, a fact underscored by
    Baku's efforts to lavish money on PR in Washington and the EU. Baku's
    PR acumen needs to be kept in mind by those who mine for signs of its
    intentions. Some Western partners have lauded President Ilham Aliyev's
    government for releasing four political prisoners in mid-October. The
    truth is the release does not change anything, and it is certainly not
    indicative of a softening of the Aliyev administration's stance on
    dissent. It is important to note that before the four were pardoned,
    they were coerced into acknowledging in writing their "crime," begging
    for forgiveness, praising Aliyev, objecting to being called "political
    prisoners" and denouncing the "anti-Azerbaijan or pro-Armenian
    activities" of international organizations.

    Aliyev's administration has a habit of using a "revolving door"
    tactic, releasing few and arresting new political prisoners. Since the
    October amnesty, at least three more activists have been jailed on
    bogus charges. Police accused two of them on hooliganism for "swearing
    in public place," and the other faces "narcotics" charges. They all
    have rejected the accusations, insisting their arrests are retaliation
    for their rights-related work.

    During the Azerbaijani chairmanship, the Council of Europe chose
    mostly to avert its eyes to Baku's violations or make toothless
    statements and merely symbolic criticisms. This head-in-the-sand
    approach has prompted activists in Baku to question the point of the
    Council of Europe.

    Sadly, Azerbaijan's refusal to release people imprisoned on
    politically motivated charges and end its abuses has not affected its
    relationships with the United States and European Union. Western
    diplomats tend to prefer backroom diplomacy to public pressure, but,
    in Azerbaijan's case, there is absolutely no indication that private
    talks have had any positive effect.

    The international community's inaction means that the end of the
    Azerbaijan's independent human rights community is nearing soon.
    Unless Aliyev's government understands that there are serious
    consequences for its abuses, Baku's free pass on human rights abuses
    will continue. -0-

    http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4452&Ite mid=48

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