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EURASIANET.ORG: AZERBAIJAN'S STATUS IN EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE DOWNGRADES TO CANDIDATE
14:08 16/04/2015 >> ECONOMY
Azerbaijan's status in a prominent international transparency
organization has been downgraded. Representatives of the group cited
Azerbaijani authorities' ongoing crackdown on individual liberties
as the reason for the demotion, Eurasianet.org reports citing the
international organization EITI (the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative).
Azerbaijan had been an EITI member since 2003. The organization
comprises companies, governments and civil-society groups and is
dedicated to promoting greater transparency about state revenues
earned from energy extraction and mining operations. Also inherent in
membership is a commitment by member states to uphold basic liberties,
in particular freedom of the press and broad access to information,
the article reads.
According to the article, on April 14, EITI's board deemed Azerbaijan
was falling short in fulfilling the group's obligations and downgraded
the country from full member to candidate. To have its membership
restored, Baku needs to "ensure that civil society in Azerbaijan
can participate in the EITI in a meaningful way," the Norway-based
group's chairperson, Clare Short, said.
Azerbaijan can be excluded from the organization at all for its
treatment toward the human rights activists. The organization expresses
a deep concern regarding the coercive measures the Azerbaijani
authorities take up against human rights defenders. Short said
Azerbaijan will be excluded in case it is does not improve the
situation during 12 months.
According to the article, Azerbaijan's troubles with the EITI date
back to 2013, when some organization representatives expressed concern
about a crackdown on government critics, and launched a probe into
the country's commitment to the transparency standard.
In the summer of 2014, a leading global watchdog group, Human Rights
Watch, called for Azerbaijan's expulsion from EITI. "Azerbaijan is
blatantly violating EITI rules, and EITI cannot afford to be complicit
in this hypocrisy," HRW representative Lisa Misol said in an August
14 statement, as the article has it.
EITI's downgrade of Azerbaijan can lead to the eventual suspension
of Baku's membership. Azerbaijani authorities have not yet reacted
to the news, the article reads.
Related:
CPJ: By extending detention of Khadija Ismayilova Azerbaijani
authorities are trying to silence her
US Department of State, OSCE and CoE condemn Azerbaijani authorities
for pressure on Baku office of Radio Liberty
http://www.panorama.am/en/economy/2015/04/16/azerbaijan-eiti/
14:08 16/04/2015 >> ECONOMY
Azerbaijan's status in a prominent international transparency
organization has been downgraded. Representatives of the group cited
Azerbaijani authorities' ongoing crackdown on individual liberties
as the reason for the demotion, Eurasianet.org reports citing the
international organization EITI (the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative).
Azerbaijan had been an EITI member since 2003. The organization
comprises companies, governments and civil-society groups and is
dedicated to promoting greater transparency about state revenues
earned from energy extraction and mining operations. Also inherent in
membership is a commitment by member states to uphold basic liberties,
in particular freedom of the press and broad access to information,
the article reads.
According to the article, on April 14, EITI's board deemed Azerbaijan
was falling short in fulfilling the group's obligations and downgraded
the country from full member to candidate. To have its membership
restored, Baku needs to "ensure that civil society in Azerbaijan
can participate in the EITI in a meaningful way," the Norway-based
group's chairperson, Clare Short, said.
Azerbaijan can be excluded from the organization at all for its
treatment toward the human rights activists. The organization expresses
a deep concern regarding the coercive measures the Azerbaijani
authorities take up against human rights defenders. Short said
Azerbaijan will be excluded in case it is does not improve the
situation during 12 months.
According to the article, Azerbaijan's troubles with the EITI date
back to 2013, when some organization representatives expressed concern
about a crackdown on government critics, and launched a probe into
the country's commitment to the transparency standard.
In the summer of 2014, a leading global watchdog group, Human Rights
Watch, called for Azerbaijan's expulsion from EITI. "Azerbaijan is
blatantly violating EITI rules, and EITI cannot afford to be complicit
in this hypocrisy," HRW representative Lisa Misol said in an August
14 statement, as the article has it.
EITI's downgrade of Azerbaijan can lead to the eventual suspension
of Baku's membership. Azerbaijani authorities have not yet reacted
to the news, the article reads.
Related:
CPJ: By extending detention of Khadija Ismayilova Azerbaijani
authorities are trying to silence her
US Department of State, OSCE and CoE condemn Azerbaijani authorities
for pressure on Baku office of Radio Liberty
http://www.panorama.am/en/economy/2015/04/16/azerbaijan-eiti/