At the forum "Can US sanctions help Azerbaijani dissidents?", which was organized in Washington on December 13 by the Organization of American Azerbaijanis for Democracy (AZAD), calls were made for tougher sanctions against Azerbaijani officials involved in the violation of human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan.
Commenting on the results of the forum for the Azerbaijani service of Voice of America (VOA) the organizers and participants summarized the causes of sanctions and the steps to be made.
The President of AZAD Elmar Shakhtakhtinski said the forum sends a message to the Azerbaijani authorities that the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms and this attitude to the people will cause responses.
“We wanted to make it clear that the policy of official Baku does not lead to a rapprochement with the West, but makes it closer to authoritarian regimes, such as Russia and Iran. The authorities should understand that where there is no overlap of values, practical cooperation breaks down, said Shakhtakhtinski.
David Kramer, the former head of Freedom House, and now director of the Human Rights and Democracy in McCain Institute, told VOA, that the last massive pressure on the opposition, the arrest of journalist Khadija Ismailova has caused serious concern in the United States, and therefore in February after the holidays the Congress will consider the human rights in Azerbaijan, which is important.
“I am a supporter of targeted sanctions, such as non-issuance of visas and freezing of bank accounts of those involved in human rights abuses. These steps are intended to release political prisoners and stop the persecution of opponents,” Kramer said, noting that "We must go further from the Magnitsky sanctions."
He also called the other direction of pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities - a call for boycott of the first European Olympic Games in Baku in 2015.
"We must make sure that these games do not become a grand event for Aliyev with participation of European leaders," said David Kramer. -0-
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