Amnesty International Reports Incessant Attacks on Civil Society in Azerbaijan

Amnesty International has released a report on the human rights situation in the 2015/2016 biennium.

As noted in the study, due to short-term security interests and severe restrictions now in many parts of the world the situation of human rights is in a poor condition.

In 2015, many states violated international law.

In 98 countries, people were tortured and ill-treated.

In 18 countries, crimes related to violation of customs of war took place.

As part of the report relating to Azerbaijan, it says that the country faces ongoing attacks on civil society and political dissidents.

The Azerbaijani authorities persecute independent journalists and activists, both inside the country and abroad. There is a practice of refusing entry to the country and the expulsion of the Azerbaijani representatives of international human rights organizations.

It is also noted that the fall in oil prices and the depreciation of the national currency helped expensiveness and reduction in the real income.

It is emphasized that the holding of the first European Games cost too much. According to some reports, business representatives were forced to provide financial support to the holding of this event, while people employed in the public sector had their wages cut.

In connection with the parliamentary elections of November 1 it is noted that in conditions when, subjected to pressure and harassment, the opposition boycotted the elections, the ruling party New Azerbaijan won easily.

At the same time the OSCE ODIHR refused to monitor the elections.

The Repression against NGOs unit indicates the freezing of accounts of NGOs and the prosecution of their members. For this reason, the activities of many NGOs became impossible. A number of NGO leaders were either imprisoned or forced into exile.

The Director of the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety Emin Huseynov, after he spent 10 months in the Swiss Embassy, was ​​allowed to leave the country. However he was deprived of his citizenship.

Attention is also drawn to the condemnation to long prison terms of the human rights defenders Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliyev, Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus.

For the spouses Yunus real prison terms were subsequently replaced by a suspended sentence.

The investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova is still in custody.

The attacks on the media would not stop.

As noted in the document, the main media are under government control. And the independent media are harassed and threatened to be closed.

The Baku bureau of Radio Azadlig suspended its operations after the prosecutor's office raid at the end of 2014 and the sealing of the office.

Beaten by six people on August 8 for a status on Facebook, the journalist Rasim Aliyev died in hospital.

On September 16, two reporters were subjected to detention for cooperation with the site Meydan.TV - Aytaj Akhmedova and Shirin Abbasov. The girl a few hours later was released, but Abbasov was subjected to administrative detention.

On December 8 the Deputy Chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Fuad Gahramanli was arrested. This happened after his criticism of the government on Facebook.

In addition, the relatives of journalists and political activists abroad were persecuted in 2015. In particular, Elghiz Sadygly, brother of the blogger Tural Sadygly who took part in a demonstration in Berlin against the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during his visit to Germany, was arrested on charges of drug trafficking on February 13. Following the international reaction, E. Sadygly was released.

The report also indicates the arrests of relatives of the expatriate Director of Meydan TV Emin Milli, the editor of the same resource Gunel Mevlut, as well as the leader of the television program Azerbaijani Hour, which broadcasts via satellite, Ganimat Zahid.

The report also points to the flagrant violation of freedom of assembly in Azerbaijan.

It also points to the use of violence against detainees, including beatings of the opposition leader Ilgar Mamedov in prison on October 16. -16d-