The organizations linked to the International Partnership Group on Azerbaijan and the Solidarity Platform call upon the Azerbaijani government to immediately release all journalists, political activists and human rights defenders that have been jailed as a result of speaking out about legitimate concerns regarding matters of public importance.
– We see an extensive campaign against independent and dissident voices, Emin Huseynov from Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety says in the statement.
Preventing people from speaking freely
– It is absolutely clear that the authorities in Azerbaijan are preventing people from speaking freely, Thomas Hughes, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19 underlined.
Between March and July 2013, youth activists primarily associated with the opposition movement N!DA, the REAL movement and the Free Youth movement were arrested and detained on charges that include drug and gun possession, hooliganism and not obeying police orders.
While some were sentenced to administrative detention and later released, seven of the N!DA activists, including Rashadat Akhundov, Uzeyir Mammadov, Rashad Huseynov, Zaur Gurbanli and Ilkin Rustamzade remain in detention.
Target and punish individuals
– Azerbaijani authorities target and punish individuals for the information they put on social media, but disguise the censorship with false charges of possession of arms or drugs and use the courts politically to sentence people to long-term imprisonments, says Maria Dahle, executive director of Human Rights House Foundation.
-It is time for the EU-leaders and others to take a firm stance and speak out against human rights abuses in Azerbaijan, says Robert Hårdh, Executive Director at Civil Rights Defenders.
The UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of assembly and association, right to be a human rights defender and freedom of expression have jointly issued a statement this week where they express their concern of the developments in Azerbaijan: – We have observed since 2011 a worrying trend of legislation which narrowed considerably the space in which civil society and defenders operate in Azerbaijan. Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association further underlines:- In times of elections, states should make greater efforts to facilitate and protect the exercise of the core rights to peaceful assembly and association.
Did not get visa in time
Two human rights defenders from Human Rights House Network, who were suppose to be in Azerbaijan during the elections, did not get visa in time.
– We regret that our colleagues From UK and Croatia were not able to come to Azerbaijan, says Maria Dahle.
Human Rights House Foundation is in Azerbaijan during the elections together with Grigory Shvedov, editor of Caucasian Knot and Tetiana Pechunchyk from the Human Rights Information Center (Human Rights House Kiyv).
