Written by Shahla Ismailova/HRH Baku, citing the extracts from the report of Amnesty International “Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International´s Concerns in the Region: January – June 2006”.

This week the Amnesty International Released the report Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International´s Concerns in the Region: January – June 2006. The report gives the summary of the important indicators of the freedom and democracy in the country, such as May election re-runs, freedom of expression and fair trials. The report lists the facts on poor records in these sections and has concern on the current public-political situation in Azerbaijan. (30-SEPT-2006)

May election re-runs
On 25 January the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Resolution 1480 laid out five areas requiring improvement in the repeat elections scheduled for 13 May in 10 constituencies where results of the 6 November 2005 parliamentary election had been annulled on account of fraud. On 26 January PACE adopted Resolution 1505, in which it was noted that while progress in the conduct of voting was observed, control over and interference in the electoral process by third parties, including local government bodies, remained a source of concern.

Some human rights activists who participated in protests following the October 2003 presidential election and have been charged with public disorder offences continued to live in exile in neighboring states. Following a request for extradition from the Azerbaijani government Azer Samedov, director of the Caucasus Centre of Freedom of Faith and Conscience, applied for political asylum in Georgia. His case was still outstanding at the end of the period under review.

Freedom of expression under attack
Freedom of expression in Azerbaijan became an increasing source of concern during the period under review, with a sharp increase in violent attacks and intimidation aimed at opposition and independent journalists. On 6 March a correspondent for the opposition newspaper Azadlyq, Fikret Huseynli, was abducted, beaten and left for dead on the outskirts of Baku. He was allegedly tied up, had his fingers broken and was stabbed in the neck. On 18 May Bahaddin Haziyev, editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Bizim Yol, was abducted by unidentified assailants and taken to a remote location in the outskirts of Baku. He was threatened and verbally abused, then his assailants ran a car over his legs. Bahaddin Haziyev was later hospitalized with serious injuries including a broken left leg. Articles alleging corruption in the oil and fishing industries had featured in Bizim Yol the day before the attack; the newspaper had also run a series of articles on corruption in the preceding weeks. The newspaper´s office and other staff had also received threatening phone calls in the preceding period. Bizim Yol´s website was also the target of frequent external disabling, which the newspaper lacked the financial and technical support to counteract. According to journalists and human rights activists no serious investigation of these crimes had been undertaken by the end of the period under review. Similarly, the murder of independent journalist Elmar Huseynov, killed in March 2005, remained unpunished.

On 23 June Sakit Mirza Zakhidov, a well-known journalist and satirist for Azadlyq, was arrested by Interior Ministry personnel belonging to its anti-narcotics department A statement issued by the Ministry alleged that 10 grams of heroin had been found on Sakit Zakhidov´s person and confiscated following his arrest. Sakit Mirza Zakhidov was still being held in pre-trial detention at the end of the period under review.

Fair trial concerns
In February an activist of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP) was sentenced to two years´ imprisonment on charges of narcotics possession that ADP leaders and human rights activists claimed were false. Opposition parties also alleged that some seven activists arrested before and after the November 2005 poll continued to be held in pre-trial detention.
The trial of three members of the Yeni Fikir (New Idea´ youth movement arrested in August and September 2005 began on 31 March at the Court of Grave Crimes in Baku. Ruslan Bashirli, Said Nuri and RaminTagiyev were accused of actions aimed at the violent overthrow of the Azerbaijani government (Article 278 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code) and in a second charge, of illegal entrepreneurship (Article 192). The prosecution alleged that Yeni Fikir members had participated in seminars organized by the National Democratic Institute, where strategies for regime change were allegedly discussed, and also met with Armenian secret service agents in Tbilisi and received money from them in order to finance a coup d´etat. The accused admitted that a meeting had taken place in Tbilisi, but said that they believed they were meeting with Georgian civil society activists and the money received from them to be intended for democratization activities in Azerbaijan.

Former ministers All Insanov and Farhad Aliyev, arrested in October 2005, remained in pre¬trial detention; Farhad Aliyev´s deteriorating health and the reported refusal of the authorities to allow him access to specialized medical care continued to be a source of concern. Natiq Efendiyev, a deputy chairman of the opposition Democratic Party of Azerbaijan arrested in October 2005, remained in pre-trial detention. Allegations that he had been tortured in November 2005 remained without investigation. Another opposition party activist, Qadir Musayev, the director of the Azerbaijan National Democratic Party´s local chapter in the southern region of Bilasuvar, was sentenced on 2 May to seven years´ imprisonment on charges of distributing narcotics. Human rights activists believed narcotics had been planted on Qadir Musayev in order to incriminate him.

Conscientious objection denied
In defiance of its obligations as a Council of Europe member, Azerbaijan had still failed to adopt a law on an alternative civilian service to military service during the period under review. On 28 April a Jehovah´s Witness conscientious objector was arrested for draft evasion, despite his stated willingness to perform alternative service. He also referred to a constitutional amendment introduced in August 2002 affirming the right to alternative service for all those whose convictions or beliefs prevent them from taking up arms. He was released by a court decision on 26 May and kept under house arrest until his trial began on 30 June.

For full report see http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/2eu-summary-eng