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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
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