INTERNATIONAL LAW IN ADVOCACY

Vilnius – Oslo- Geneva – Baku – Kiev – Chisinau – Minsk – Moscow.

14 August 2014

Statement by lawyers and advocates of the Human Rights House Network Program

“International Law in Advocacy”

“Detention of Intigam Aliyev is an attempt of reprisal against the human rights movement in Azerbaijan”

On 8 August 2014 the head of partner organisation of the “International Law in Advocacy” program in Azerbaijan Intigam Aliyev was detained on charges of tax evasion, abuse of office and illegal business/ According to the statement of Intigam Aliyev, all charges have no legal basis, but are politically motivated.

Intigam Aliyev – a lawyer with a unique pedagogic talent, brilliantly taught human rights in more than 100 programs, training judges, lawyers and journalists in Azerbaijan and beyond. Intigam Aliyev is the president of the NGO “Legal Education Society”. Since 2009 he actively cooperates with the project of distance learning for lawyers in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, and is an expert of international organizations such as OSCE, the Council of Europe, the American Bar Association (ABA ROLI). He effectively shared his experience with alumni, participants and experts of the Program during conferences, as well as being a tutor of the HELP program of the Council of Europe.

Author of ten bills, more than twenty books and hundreds of articles on human rights, the winner of the annual award «Homo Homini» in 2012 by the international organization «People in Need», which he received for bravery, Intigam Aliyev for many years protects political prisoners in courts, and won 25 cases for them in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Currently, the ECHR concludes communication of 40 cases prepared by Intigam Aliyev in connection with violations of electoral rights during the 2010 parliamentary elections.

We, the participants of the “International Law in Advocacy” program, believe that the real reason for the arrest of Intigam Aliyev is his human rights work and numerous appeals to the European Court of Human Rights. As it became known, the documents on many of the cases pending in the ECHR, now, after the search and arrest of Intigam are in posession of the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan.

In our opinion, the detention of Intigam Aliyev on fabricated charges is an attempt to interfere with the protection of victims of human rights violations and public interests violations, as well as a massive attack on the minds of other Azerbaijani human rights defenders in order to intimidate them into abandoning their activities. The professional community of lawyers and advocates of the former Soviet space has suffered a huge loss.

Arrests, freezing of accounts of many non-governmental organizations and their leaders, are links in the overall chain of actions aimed at silencing civil society voice against violations. Actions of public authorities in relation to Intigam Aliyev and other human rights defenders (in particular, Leyla and Arif Yunus, Rasul Jafarov), who were arrested in recent weeks, indicate the non-compliance of the state with the international legal standards set forth in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993 in Vienna, as well as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (55/144), UN Human Rights Council Resolution 22/6 of the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (A/HRC/22/L.13), particularly paragraphs 9, 11 and 14, which call on states to:

firstly, to refrain from, and ensure adequate protection from, any act of intimidation or reprisals against those who cooperate, have cooperated or seek to cooperate with international institutions,

secondly, to provide such conditions for activity of human rights defenders which will not interfere with their independence, including the origin of funds for these purposes will not impose against human rights defenders discriminatory restrictions, criminalization or delegitimization of their actions to promote and protect human rights,

thirdly, to ensure the transparency and certainty of application of legal provisions affecting human rights defenders, in order to avoid potential abuses by the state in the form of the use of unreliable evidence, arbitrary investigations and arrests that often impede the prompt closure of all unsubstantiated cases.

Tax evasion charges set against Intigam Aliyev and other human rights defenders by the authorities of Azerbaijan is one of the methods used by those states who want to silence human rights defenders. Generalizing the negative practices of the recent years, said resolution formulates the standards to be followed by the states to facilitate the work of those who defend human rights in their country. Full text of Resolution 22/6 of 12 April 2013 “Protection of Human Rights Defenders,” is published here: http://protectionline.org/2013/06/13/a-hrc-22-l13-united-nations-human-rights-council-resolution-on-human-rights-defenders-21-march-2013/

We call on all those concerned to join the wider campaign of support and fight for liberation of Intigam Aliyev and other political prisoners.

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Human rights advocates and lawyers of Human Rights House Network Program

“International Law in Advocacy”

For more information:

Liudmila Ulyashyna
Manager
International Law in Advocacy Program
Human Rights House Foundation
Kirkegate 5, 0153 Oslo
mobile: +47 91 33 34 72
e-mail: liudmila.ulyashyna@humanrightshouse.org

About “International Law in Advocacy” program (http://humanrightshouse.org/Projects/ILIA/index.html)

International Law in Advocacy or ILIA is a program jointly implemented by several member organizations of the Human Rights House Network. The program aims to increase the knowledge and skills of lawyers in international human rights protection. The program is directed at facilitation of the implementation of international human rights standards in national practice, provision of better protection for HR defenders and victims of fundamental rights violations.

About the Human Rights House Network (www.humanrightshouse.org)

Human Rights House Network (HRHN) is a forum for established and emerging Human Rights Houses, which unites more than 70 non-governmental organizations in 15 countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and South Caucasus, Eastern Africa and Western Europe. HRHN’s aim is to protect, empower and support human rights defenders and their organisations. Human Rights House Foundation – the Secretariat of the Human Rights House Network is based in Oslo and Geneva.

You can sign the statement here:
http://helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1408353856