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American Expert: Everyone In Washington Is Fed Up With Azerbaijani L

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  • American Expert: Everyone In Washington Is Fed Up With Azerbaijani L

    AMERICAN EXPERT: EVERYONE IN WASHINGTON IS FED UP WITH AZERBAIJANI LOBBYISTS, THERE ARE COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM

    17:47 05/03/2015 >> IN THE WORLD

    Audrey Altstadt, a US Kennan Institute fellow, professor of History
    from University of Massachusetts, in an interview to the Azerbaijani
    information agency Turan commented on the situation in Azerbaijan and
    its relations with the West. Turning to the fact of persecutions of
    civil society activists and journalists, she noted that the situation
    in Azerbaijan has evolved slowly through the past few years.

    "I think the regime is afraid of something like the Ukrainian Maidan
    phenomena or something like the Arab Spring -- something like the
    Azerbaijani version of that kind of unrest. And because they're
    afraid of that, they've taken whole lot of serious measures. They have
    attracted especially the younger generation into government service
    or the kinds of jobs where they are not necessarily doing political
    work but where are also not threatening to the regime as their jobs
    really keep them from moving into opposition. But if someone doesn't
    listen to those small signals at the beginning they run into the
    risks of increasingly threatening harassment of different types:
    threats against individual, against family members, to be taken
    into questioning, charged for a crime discovering that there have
    been drugs or weapons planted in their yard, or home or their car,
    then come pre-trial detentions, jail for years," the professor
    noted adding that the number of those who disagree with the regime
    grows, and people who decide to get involved in politics under these
    circumstances are very brave and they take a huge risk.

    It is also noted that the current regime is afraid of losing the
    privileges of power. And when the journalists, like Khadija Ismayilova,
    explore the corruption of the ruling circles, they are subjected
    to threats.

    Altstadt remembered that in 1991-1992 lots of people looked into
    the future with optimism, thinking that it was very likely to be the
    beginning of path toward democratization, toward an open civil society,
    towards serious economical and other developments. But it did not
    happen. The same thing happened with the first democratic republic in
    1918-1920. There was republic, democracy ideals and huge opportunities.

    "However, the wide range of suppression of journalists, of public
    speech, public assemblies of critical voices go far beyond what you
    could really explain with security interests. You really can see which
    regimes talk about trying to protect national security as an excuse
    to suppress their critics. I don't see how beating prisoners in jail
    helps Azerbaijan's national security. I don't see how increasing by 10
    times the fine for public demonstrations contributes to Azerbaijan's
    national security; I don't see how throwing drugs into the pockets
    of young people contributes to Azerbaijan's national security; I
    don't see how the framing of the children of political activists and
    setting them up so that they can be arrested and convicted on fake
    charges - how that contributes to Azerbaijan's national security,"
    the expert stressed.

    During the interview the professor also touched on the topic of the
    upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan noting that several
    distinct steps are pointed out in the old copies of Council of Europe
    statements. The Central Election Commission needs to be formed anew and
    become independent, unlike what it is now dominated by the ruling Yeni
    Azerbaijan Party. A second step would be giving opening the country
    to more election monitors: not just those that are in fact recruited
    by the government, but that actually belong to the international
    organizations. That would mean that all the participants including
    those at the polling stations have to understand that they will
    also be supposed to play by the rules. Fair elections are impossible
    without free pr-election atmosphere, when a candidate can easily get
    registered, and opposition candidates get air time.

    "We know most people get their news completely from television, which
    is completely controlled by the state. Open spaces for candidates
    and not allowing the kind of antics we saw in 2013 where you have
    people sitting around the table and where the one actual opposition
    candidate that talks, somebody else across him start yelling and throws
    a plastic bottle across the way -- that just really has to stop. It
    doesn't help Azerbaijan's reputation anywhere in the world," she added.

    Regarding the Assistant Secretary of the Department of State Victoria
    Nuland's statement about launching a new US-Azerbaijan structure of
    human rights and democracy, Altstadt noted that dialog is better than
    no dialog. But having the long history of other dialogs, mainly between
    Azerbaijan and the CoE, the numerous commissions, discussions and
    reports, including plans of improvement, they did not give anything.

    "Many of us worry seeing how they torture Gunel Hasanli only because
    she is an oppositionist's daughter. Such phenomena cannot shape a
    positive image of Azerbaijan in the American's perceptions. These
    are the very facts that become the main source for the international
    organizations' criticism," Altstadt highlighted.

    Regarding the millions of dollars that the Azerbaijani government
    spends in Washington to improve its country's image, the expert said
    that such efforts bring about an interesting effect.

    "The most important thing for the lobbyists is to get money and report;
    that is why they take up any tricks. Over the past half year more and
    more people have told me that they are annoyed by that intrusive praise
    or advertising. Recently I have been told about a case when a lobbying
    company employee introduced himself as a scientist in order to get
    into hearings about the issue of democracy violations in Azerbaijan. He
    was unmasked at the event and those present saw that. When a lobbying
    firm takes up such measures and meanwhile praises Azerbaijan, these
    efforts will go useless. I have more than once heard complaints in
    the Congress that they are already fed up of hearing all that. If such
    propaganda brought some positive effects for Azerbaijan in the past,
    now it works against Azerbaijan," the expert highlighted noting that
    she herself sees this reaction in Washington and hears it from people
    who are obliged to listen to "all that lobbying talks."

    http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2015/03/05/audrey-altstadt/

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