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AZERBAIJAN: REPRESSION ESCALATES IN RUN-UP TO EUROPEAN GAMES
13:27, 21 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
Repression of Azeri civil society, NGOs and journalists has escalated
significantly as the date of the Baku European Games approaches,
says the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in
a report published today. The report documents the repression of eight
emblematic human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained,
and details the series of legislative amendments recently adopted to
silence independent voices.
"Most of the high-level leaders of the independent NGOs have been
arrested. The conditions of detention are abominable and the declining
health of some of them, such as Leyla Yunus and Intigam Aliyev is of
serious concern," stated Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.
In January 2015, the Observatory led a fact-finding mission to Baku
to meet with civil society organisations. Despite several requests
submitted to the authorities, the delegation was not allowed to visit
the imprisoned defenders.
In the last two years, many former Soviet States have been severely
cracked down on civil society by introducing extremely repressive
policies. These policies, largely inspired by laws recently adopted
in Russia, are paradoxically enforced in contexts where states are
trying to improve their international image, often by hosting major
public events. This was the case in 2014, when Belarus hosted the World
Hockey Championship, and in Russia, when it organised the Olympic Games
in Sotchi. It is now the case in Azerbaijan where the European Games
will be held in June 2015. The international community must use this
opportunity to express its concern with Azeri authorities regarding
human rights abuses and the situation the people and organisations
defending these rights face in Azerbaijan.
"We hope that the leaders of the countries participating in the
European Games will take advantage of the opportunity to denounce
the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. That is why we are asking
them officially to condition their participation in the opening
ceremony on the release of all imprisoned human rights defenders,"
stated Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH Honorary President and head of the
delegation to Baku in January 2015. "As relations with Russia sour,
Azerbaijan is becoming the cornerstone of the alternative energy road
map, but this should not change anything. The international community,
and especially the European countries, must be firm," she added.
In Azerbaijan, the adoption of increasingly repressive policies is
also a reflection of events that have taken place on the international
stage and at the borders of Azerbaijan. The Azeri government considers
the Arab Spring, the large demonstrations in Russia and Turkey, the
events in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region
to be "threats" to national stability.
Before cracking down on NGOs and their leaders in 2014, several
laws were amended to restrict the activities of civil society. New
laws were adopted that increased the administrative requirements and
imposed more frequent inspections and stricter reporting requirements.
These laws make it de facto impossible for unregistered NGOs to
receive and use grants in accordance with the law. The authorities
have used these new regulations to prosecute NGO leaders by accusing
them of financial irregularities.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/21/azerbaijan-repression-escalates-in-run-up-to-european-games/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
13:27, 21 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
Repression of Azeri civil society, NGOs and journalists has escalated
significantly as the date of the Baku European Games approaches,
says the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in
a report published today. The report documents the repression of eight
emblematic human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained,
and details the series of legislative amendments recently adopted to
silence independent voices.
"Most of the high-level leaders of the independent NGOs have been
arrested. The conditions of detention are abominable and the declining
health of some of them, such as Leyla Yunus and Intigam Aliyev is of
serious concern," stated Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.
In January 2015, the Observatory led a fact-finding mission to Baku
to meet with civil society organisations. Despite several requests
submitted to the authorities, the delegation was not allowed to visit
the imprisoned defenders.
In the last two years, many former Soviet States have been severely
cracked down on civil society by introducing extremely repressive
policies. These policies, largely inspired by laws recently adopted
in Russia, are paradoxically enforced in contexts where states are
trying to improve their international image, often by hosting major
public events. This was the case in 2014, when Belarus hosted the World
Hockey Championship, and in Russia, when it organised the Olympic Games
in Sotchi. It is now the case in Azerbaijan where the European Games
will be held in June 2015. The international community must use this
opportunity to express its concern with Azeri authorities regarding
human rights abuses and the situation the people and organisations
defending these rights face in Azerbaijan.
"We hope that the leaders of the countries participating in the
European Games will take advantage of the opportunity to denounce
the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. That is why we are asking
them officially to condition their participation in the opening
ceremony on the release of all imprisoned human rights defenders,"
stated Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH Honorary President and head of the
delegation to Baku in January 2015. "As relations with Russia sour,
Azerbaijan is becoming the cornerstone of the alternative energy road
map, but this should not change anything. The international community,
and especially the European countries, must be firm," she added.
In Azerbaijan, the adoption of increasingly repressive policies is
also a reflection of events that have taken place on the international
stage and at the borders of Azerbaijan. The Azeri government considers
the Arab Spring, the large demonstrations in Russia and Turkey, the
events in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region
to be "threats" to national stability.
Before cracking down on NGOs and their leaders in 2014, several
laws were amended to restrict the activities of civil society. New
laws were adopted that increased the administrative requirements and
imposed more frequent inspections and stricter reporting requirements.
These laws make it de facto impossible for unregistered NGOs to
receive and use grants in accordance with the law. The authorities
have used these new regulations to prosecute NGO leaders by accusing
them of financial irregularities.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/21/azerbaijan-repression-escalates-in-run-up-to-european-games/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress