Amnesty International calls on participants of Governance Forum to influence the authorities of Azerbaijan

On 6-9 November Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, will host the annual Internet Governance Forum. This multi-stakeholder dialogue (established by the United Nations in 2006) will include discussion of internet related human rights issues, in particular freedom of speech, which makes the choice of venue for the event deeply ironic. In Azerbaijan, people who exercise this fundamental right to criticize President Ilham Aliyev, his family or government, risk being threatened, attacked or imprisoned – whether they do so on, or off-line. Azerbaijan has already enjoyed a turn on the international stage earlier this year, when it hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May. On that occasion, local activists took advantage of the attention to highlight human rights concerns in the country to a wider audience. Since then, and following a decrease in media attention post-Eurovision, these activists have started to be targeted, being harassed by police and arrested on bogus charges.

As the e-spotlight of the Internet Governance Forum focuses international attention on the country once again, Amnesty International is renewing calls for the Azerbaijani authorities to end the crackdown on dissent and to ensure that all citizens are able to enjoy their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association. This briefing highlights the experiences of some of those who have paid the price for free speech in Azerbaijan.

Amnesty International calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to fully respect the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, by:

•Ending the harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention and criminal prosecution of all those who peacefully express dissenting views;

•Immediately and unconditionally releasing all prisoners of conscience (those detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights);

•Allowing independent media outlets, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and other civil society activists to operate freely, carrying out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisal;

•Ensuring that all provisions regulating access to the internet fully comply with international law and standards;

•Allowing peaceful demonstrations to be organized in appropriate locations;

•Refraining from the criminal prosecution of the organizers and participants of peaceful demonstrations.

Amnesty International also calls on international organizations as well as the governments of the USA, EU and other bilateral partners to:

•Place greater emphasis on the respect for human rights in their relations with the Azerbaijani authorities, including by raising documented cases of human rights violations with the Azerbaijani authorities;

•Call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience;

•Increase their support for the work of human rights defenders and independent civil society activists in Azerbaijan. -02D-