As part of his tour of the South Caucasus region the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Chairman of the Council of Europe´s (CE) Ministerial Committee Jan Petersen met with a group of key Azerbaijani human rights defenders on 12th of October. On behalf of about 15 Azerbaijani human rights NGOs Fuad Hasanov, a local human rights activist, delivered to Mr. Petersen an open letter, where the human rights defenders highly encourage the establishment of a Human Rights House in Baku. According to the NGOs such a house will make the human rights movement more visible, accessible and improve the security for human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. (22-OCT-2004)

The letter reads:

03.10.2004                                                              Baku city, Azerbaijan

To the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Chairman of the Council of Europe ´s (CE) Ministerial Committee, Mr. Jan Petersen  

Dear Minister,

We, a group of human rights defenders, want to bring to your attention that since the independence, Azerbaijan has been stepped on the hardest period of human rights crisis and permanent struggle. The more initiatives the human rights defenders undertake, the more frequently themselves turn to the target of human rights violations. They are pressured, abused, made various obstacles in their activity and even get arrested. The persecution, pressure, threats and physical violence toward people and human rights defenders before and after the latest presidential elections of 2003 are the evidence of this increasing progression. After the presidential elections held on October 15, 2003 leaders of the oppositional political parties, Sardar Jalaloglu, Secretary General of Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Arif Hajiyev, Ibrahim Ibrahimli, Rauf Arifoglu, the deputy heads of Musavat party, Etimad Asadov, the head of Garabagh war participants, Panah Huseynov, the head of Azerbaijan People party and Igbal Agazada, MP, the chairman of Umid (Hope) party were arrested illegally. Moroever, one human rights defender – Ilgar Ibrahimoglu was also among the arrested people. Only via repeated pressures of international communities on ruling Azerbaijani government, Ibrahimoglu was released after several months. Nevertheless CoE, OSCE, U.S. Department of State and other international organizations demand the releasing of arrested leaders and the 33 other people sentenced on that occasion due to get political dialogue in the society, but still there is not any step by the government. 

The situation on the field of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Freedom of Speech and Press, Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home or Correspondence, Denial of a Fair and Public Trial, Arbitrary Arrest, Detention or Exile, Respect for Political Rights: the Right of Citizens to Change Their Government are in crisis.

In such a period, it is important to organize effective coordination of the activity of human rights organizations and work out a special defending strategy for normal activity of human rights defenders, who currently work in extremely difficult conditions. Therefore, it is significant for these organizations to function under the protecting “umbrella” of international organizations. 

Regarding this necessity, we highly encourage the establishment of NorwegJan based Human Rights House in Baku, which covers all the above-mentioned objectives. Under the umbrella of Human Rights House each NGO promotes human rights in its own way, but is co-located with other NGOs. By bringing NGOs together in one location, a Human Rights House enhances co-operation and joint activities. Also, a Human Rights House makes the NGOs more visible, both in their home countries and abroad. This visibility, combined with a closer co-operation both at the national and international level, may improve the security of human rights defenders. On our turn we want to emphasize our eagerness to mobilize our organizational resources for the effective realization and sustainability of this project. After establishment such a House the local human rights organizations entered and even not entered to the House will get serious opportunity for effective, continual, complete protection of human rights in the country. At the same time House will create real and effective condition between NGOs to meet numerous human rights problems and effort for their resolving in joint activity. And effective protection of human rights is one of the most important tasks for the establishment of civil society that we need it.

Azerbaijan, which is in the integration process to Europe from the geopolitical aspect and is a member of “European family” where human rights is the first value for the Council of Europe, OSCE and other international organizations, – has such terrible problems with human right violations, that must a basic concern for the whole Europe. 

Unfortunately, not all the partners of Azerbaijan act properly for solution of these problems of global importance and cast a shadow on European values. We are very happy to see the principal approach of the NorwegJan Government toward the solution of human right crisis in our country. Besides, we welcome the honest, principal and impartial activity of the NorwegJan Ambassador to Azerbaijan Steinar Gil; and in your person, we express our gratitude to the NorwegJan Government and to the Ambassador Steinar Gil on the behalf of all human rights defenders.

Finally, we would like to request You to promote the decision of the NorwegJan Ministry of Foreign Affairs toward the establishment of the Human Rights House in Baku in the nearest future. 

The ceremonial opening of Baku office of the Human Rights House in the beginning of the next year would be the most successful contribution to human rights sphere of Azerbaijan. 


On behalf of:

• Mr. Sahib Mamedov – Citizens’ Labour Rights Protection League
• Mr. Eldar Zeynalov – Azerbaijan Human Rights Centre
• Mrs. Mirvary Gahramanly – Committee on Protection of the rights of Oil Workers
• Mr. Ilgar Ibrahimoglu – DEVAMM center, IRLA country coordinator
• Mr. Elchin Behbudov – Azerbaijan Committee Against Tortures
• Mrs. Saida Gojamanly- Bureau for Human Rights and Legality Defence
• Mr. Anar Mamedly – Election Monitoring Center
• Murad Sadaddinov – Federation for Human Rights And Democracy Development
• Mr. Ulvi Hakimov – Azerbaijan National Democracy Fund
• Mrs. Arzu Abdullayeva – Helsinki Citizens Assembly Azerbaijan National Committee

The letter was signed by:

1. Mrs. Novella Jafaroglu –  Women´s Rights Protection Association after D.Aliyeva
2. Mr. Fuad Hasanov – “Against Violence” Human Rights Center (AVHRC)
3. Mrs. Shahla Ismailova – Women´s Association for Rational Development (WARD)
4. Mrs. Saadat Benanyarly – Azerbaijan National Group of International Society for Human Rights
5. Mr. Avaz Hasanov – director of Society for Humanitarian Research