Statement from the Annual Meeting of the Human Rights House Network
Baku, Azerbaijan, 8 September 2005
Adopted 8 September 2005, by the Human Rights House Network in Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Poland, Norway, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, England, Kenya and Uganda, the Swedish Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Defenders Office of the International Service for Human Rights .
We, delegates to the Human Rights House Network?s annual meeting express our deep concern about the Azeri authorities? continued harassment of independent journalists, political activists and human rights defenders. Since the 2003 presidential elections, marred by fraud and violence, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of assembly, organisation, expression and the right to a fair trial, has continued to deteriorate in Azerbaijan. The authorities? expressed wish for stability must not compromise these rights.
Several Azeri human rights organisations have documented that in the build-up to the forthcoming parliamentary elections, youth activists and their relatives, mainly in the regions, have been attacked and threatened by both private and state actors. Freedom from fear of such attacks is a precondition for free and fair elections to take place.
The UN Secretary General?s Special Representative for Human Rights Defenders observes that violations most commonly target either human rights defenders themselves or the organizations and mechanisms through which they work. As a means of applying pressure on the defender, perpetrators occasionally also target members of defenders? families. Human rights defenders in Azerbaijan face defamation campaigns in state controlled media, being accused of state treason. Despite the adoption in 2003 of the Law on State registration and State Register of Legal Entities, the Ministry of Justice?s continues to hamper certain human rights organisations to register.
In the aftermath of the presidential elections of October 2003, a wave of arbitrary arrests of human rights activists, opposition supporters and journalists followed. Many were put to trial, among them seven opposition leaders who remained imprisoned until 20 March, 2005, when they were released after intense international pressure, not the least from the Council of Europe. Their sentences, however, were upheld by the Azeri Supreme Court. Hence, some of them cannot participate in political activities, even though the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has documented that their trials contradicted Azeri domestic law and also did not meet international legal standards. Neither police officials nor security forces involved in the October 2003 events have been persecuted, despite countless witnesses reporting their excessive use of force and intimidation during the post-election unrest.
The Human Rights House Network strongly condemns the murder of Elmar Huseynov, editor of the Monitor Magazine, on 2 March 2005. This murder was the last and most dramatic incident in a series of threats and attacks against journalists in Azerbaijan. The Human Rights House Network expresses its concern with Azeri authorities? increasing tendency to suppress the media, and with their failure to put an end to attacks on media individuals and institutions.
We, the representatives of the Human Rights House Network
? welcome Azeri authorities? opening of a dialogue with human rights organisations on election monitoring, the effort to combat corruption and policies on political prisoners.
However, we call upon Azeri authorities to
? create conditions for all political parties and all candidates to conduct their campaign in a safe environment. Violence and suppression during the campaign could seriously damage the free and fair character of the elections and the international image of Azerbaijan.
? ensure that the forthcoming parliamentary elections will take place in a peaceful atmosphere, guarantee that all election procedures are transparent and carried out in accordance with Azerbaijan?s Council of Europe membership obligations and other international standards, and grant all election observers general access at all ballot points.
? lift all restrictions on domestic NGO?s rights to monitor elections.
? stop threats and harassments of human rights defenders, and arbitrary arrests of opposition activists. The Azeri Government should provide necessary protection for all individuals and organisations working to promote basic human rights and liberties, in accordance with the UN Declaration on the protection of human rights defenders (1998).
? intervene to create an environment for civil society to act freely and without intimidation all over Azerbaijan, including the enclave of Nakhichevan.
? respect the freedom of association and ensure the implementation of fair and transparent registration of human rights organisations.
? take decisive measures to ensure a safe working climate for its country?s journalists and media institutions.
? ensure that the investigations into the murder of Elmar Huseynov are made transparent and that all attacks on journalists and media institutions are investigated fully and freely. The findings of these investigations must be made publicly available. Those responsible for committing these crimes must be brought to justice in free and fair trials.
? investigate all complaints related to torture, state power abuse and unfair trial and bring those responsible for committing such crimes to justice.
? implement the recommendations of the OSCE report from the trial monitoring project in Azerbaijan 2003-2004.
Furthermore, we call upon Azeri media to
? observe an objective and non-partisan approach during the campaign and to correctly inform the public opinion in order to allow for the voters to make their choice freely.
Furthermore, we call upon the Council of Europe and the OSCE to
? monitor the campaign carefully, to report regularly, in a transparent manner, about their findings, taking into consideration internationally accepted standards for free and fair elections
Furthermore, we call upon international oil companies operating in Azerbaijan to
? remind Azeri authorities of their international obligations to uphold the fundamental human rights and to speak up when human rights abuses are violated.
Finally, we call upon human rights defenders and relevant local and international NGOs to
? take an active part in informing and mobilising the voters and in observing the pre-election campaign. The role of NGOs at this point is crucial for the fairness of the process and for the creation of a democratic environment for the 6 November elections.
? strengthen their networking on all levels, to improve their coordination nationally and internationally of human rights activities including the active support to human rights defenders in danger, to provide reliable documentation, and to nurture credibility and accuracy.
Signed by representatives of the Human Rights House Network in Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Poland, Norway, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, England, Kenya and Uganda, the Swedish Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Defenders Office of the International Service for Human Rights.
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