On 12 June, on the opening day of the first European Olympic Games, Belarusian human rights defenders held a photo action in order to express their support to the political prisoners in Azerbaijan, and to remind everyone about the difficult situation in which the country’s civil society currently is. The representatives of the Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House, Human Rights Center “Viasna”, RHRPA “Belarusian Helsinki Committee”  have took photos with the portraits of the victims of political repressions – human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev, human rights defenders Emin Huseynov, Rasul Jafarov, Leyla Yunus, an independent election observer Anar Mammadli, journalist Khadija Ismayilova.Thus, the protesters expressed support and solidarity with those, who suffer from politically motivated prosecution in Azerbaijan.

The company “Sport for Rights” (“S4R”) was initiated in order to raise awareness towards the issue of the crackdown on the civil society in Azerbaijan.










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Recent years brought an intensified crackdown on the exercise of fundamental human rights in Azerbaijan that has shocked even seasoned observers. Without any regard for protection under domestic or international law, the authorities in Azerbaijan have targeted journalists, political opposition leaders, grassroots activists, and human rights defenders, including lawyers. Central to the government’s strategy to suppress criticism is the employment of politically-motivated criminal prosecutions and detentions. In order to do so, the legislation has been amended since 2009 in order to restrict rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. As a result, the civil society in the country has been devastated. Leading figures of the civil society, such as Emin Huseynov (IRFS), have fled the country and are forced into hiding, or have been detained, such as amongst many others human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev, human rights defenders Rasul Jafarov, Leyla Yunus, and her husband Arif Yunus, independent election observer Anar Mammadli, investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, opposition leader Ilgar Mammadov, as well as N!DA activists. Since 12 June, Azerbaijan is hosting the first of its sort European Olympic Games. This event will shed light on the repressions and imprisonment of the civil society representatives.

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