Council of Europe's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) today published a report on the situation in Azerbaijan. According to the press release, despite the progress in the migration legislation and the conditions of life of minorities there is a concern with the consistent use of the language of hatred and repression against independent civil society and media, bias towards sexual minorities and discrimination against religious minorities. In 2014, the International Center for Multiculturalism and Migration adopted Code was established in Baku.
At the same time, ECRI expresses concern at the large-scale repression against independent civil society and the media. As a result, vulnerable groups are no longer able to seek assistance from NGOs on the facts of racism, incitement to hatred and discrimination.
Despite the absence of violent crimes over the past year on the basis of ethnicity, political leaders, educational institutions and media continue to use the rhetoric of hatred. "Pardon, release and promotion in 2012, Ramil Safarov, who was sentenced in Budapest to life imprisonment for the murder of Armenian officer, contributes to a sense of impunity for perpetrators of crimes motivated by racism," say the authors of the report. The report recommends that the authorities put an end to the constant use of hatred and promoted mutual understanding and trust.
Azerbaijan has not adopted a comprehensive legislation to combat discrimination, and there are no institutions responsible for the fight against racism and discrimination in the private sector.
ECRI also expressed concern regarding a significant number of violent attacks against LGBT, many of which are committed by members of their families.
The law on religious freedom does not meet international standards. Various religious minorities were subjected to severe restrictions and discrimination, including police raids, detentions, fines. There have been the closure of places of worship, prohibition to pray outside the mosque, censorship of religious literature. In practice, there is no alternative to military service.
ECRI in its report made a number of recommendations to the Azerbaijani state bodies, such as:
- To create conditions for the development of a diverse and independent civil society;
- Fulfill the obligations on the introduction of alternative military service, which was taken at the Azerbaijan joining the Council of Europe.
ECRI will assess the implementation of these recommendations in the course of monitoring for two years.
ECRI is a body of the Human Rights Council of Europe, composed of independent experts, which monitors problems of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination on grounds of race, nationality/ethnicity, skin color, nationality, religion and language. ECRI prepares reports and issues recommendations to member-states. -06D--
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