Heads of 52 civil society organizations of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement in connection with the arrest of the head of the "Civil Alternative" Movement, Ilgar Mammadov and deputy head of the party "Musavat", Tofig Yagublu. The text of the statement:
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, consider the arrest of Republican Alternative Movement chairman and potential presidential candidate Ilgar Mammadov and Yeni Musavat newspaper journalist and Musavat Party deputy chairman Tofig Yagublu to be politically motivated and call for immediate release and withdrawal of the trumped up charges against them.
As such, Ilgar Mammadov and Tofig Yagublu were sentenced to two months in pretrial detention by February 4 decision of Nasimi District Court. They are incriminated under Articles 233 and 315.2 (Public offence) of the Criminal Code by the Department on Investigation of Grave Crimes under the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Preliminary investigations, which we conducted, revealed that Mammadov and Yagublu went to Ismayilli one day after the protests started, while it was the first day of protests (late on January 23) when the protesters set fire to the hotel and luxurious cars belonging to high-ranking officials. Mammadov and Yagublu arrived in Ismayilli in the afternoon of January 24, talked to local people in the presence of journalists and asked about the causes of the protests. They did nothing illegal there. On the contrary, Yagublu performed his professional duties as a journalist, and, as a public figure, Mammadov tried to learn the true causes of the protests directly from local residents themselves.
At first, law-enforcement agencies and government described the Ismayilli protest as an exaggerated dispute caused by a traffic accident, and a few days later they hastily accused the opposition of organizing the protest in order to conceal true causes of the protest.
Functionaries of the ruling party try to convince the public that Mammadov and Yagublu were interested in aggravating the situation, saying that they arrived in Ismayilli while the protests were taking place. The absurdity of these allegations is proved by the visit of New Azerbaijan Party leadership and MPs representing this party to Ismayilli on January 25. It turns out that the purpose of ruling party functionaries’ visit to Ismayilli was to ease tensions, while the oppositionists tried to incite riots. While the fact is that local residents were protesting against the abuse of power. The protest in Ismayilli reached culminating point on the first day (late on January 23), i.e. protests were less intense on January 24 and the next day (late on January 25) they completely ended.
Our investigations revealed once again that the true cause of the mass public protest was behavior of relatives of Ismayilli mayor Nizami Alakbarov, who in a traffic accident insulted the local people. Therefore the protesters demanded resignation of the mayor and set fire to the hotel belonging to his nephew, and at the same time the son of the minister for social protection Fuzuli Alakbarov. A recent speech by President Ilham Aliyev also suggests that the true cause of the protests was arbitrariness of government officials and their relatives. All of this suggests that the true reason behind the protests in Ismayilli is abuse of power by government officials, and once again demonstrates the absurdity of law-enforcement agencies’ attempts to accuse Mammadov and Yagublu of organizing these protests.
We are therefore calling on the Azerbaijani government to show political will by conducting progressive reforms in the field of freedom of expression and assembly which are very important with respect to elections. We urge the government to immediately release Ilgar Mammadov and Tofig Yagublu, as well as other jailed journalists and political prisoners. We believe that as country, which will chair the European Council for six months in 2014 and will host European Olympic Games in 2015, Azerbaijan must be loyal to European values and ensure free and fair elections in October this year.
We also call on the OSCE and Council of Europe to pay closer attention to what is happening in Azerbaijan, urge the government to abide by its human rights obligations and take other necessary steps. –06D--
list of signatories of the Joint Statement of Azerbaijani civil society organizations on the arrest of Republican Alternative Movement chairman Ilgar Mammadov and Yeni Musavat newspaper journalist and Musavat Party deputy chairman Tofig Yagublu
Name/Surname Adı/soyadı
|
Organization /Təşkilat | Email/elektron poзt ьnvanı |
Rauf Arifoğlu | "Yeni Musavat" Yeni Musavat newspaper | |
Mehman Əliyev | Turan İnformasiya Agentliyi Turan News Agency | |
Novella Cəfəroğlu | Azərbaycan Qadın Hüquqlarını Müdafiə Cəmiyyəti Association for the Protection of Women's Rights | |
Rahim Haciyev | Azadlıq qəzeti Azadliq newspaper | adif2009@gmail.com |
Səidə Qocamanlı | İnsan Hüquqları və Qanuna Hörmət Bьrosu Bureau of Human Rights and Law Respect | |
İntiqam Əliyev
| Hьquq Maarifзiliyi Cəmiyyəti İB Legal Education Society Public Union | |
Qubad İbadoğlu
| İctimai Təşəbbüslər Mərkəzi İB Public Initiative Center | |
Sədaqət Paşayeva | D. Əliyeva adına AQHMC Association for the Protection of Women's Rights | |
Arzu Abdullayeva
| Helsinki Vətəndaş Assembleyasının Az. Milli Komitəsi Azerbaijan National Committee of Helsinki Citizens Assembly | |
Səadət Bənəyarlı | BİHC AMB Azerbaijan National Group of the International Society of Human Rights | |
İlqar Hüseynli | Sosial-Strateji Tədqiqatlar və Analitik Araşdırmalar İB Social Strategic Studies and Analytical Investigations Public Union | |
İlqar İbrahimoğlu
| DEVAMM Centre for Protection of Freedom of Conscience and Religion | |
Sevil Allahverdiyeva
| Qadın Problemlərinin Tədqiqatları Mərkəzi Women Problems Examination Centre | |
|
|
|
Rafiq Təmrazov | Bərabər İmkanlar Mərkəzi İB Center for Equal Opportunities | |
İmranova Aytəkin | İslam, Demokratiya və İnsan Haqları Mərkəzi Center for Islam, Democracy and Human Rights | |
Leila Alieva | Milli və Beynəlxalq Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi Center for National and International Studies |
leilalibek@yahoo.com |
Arastun Oruclu | Şərq-Qərb Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi "East-West" Research Center | arastun_orujlu@yahoo.com |
İlham Hüseynli |
"Demokratik İnkişaf və İqtisadi Əməkdaşlıq" İB Democratic Development and Economic Partnership Public Union | ihuseinli@yahoo.com |
| "Demokratiyanı Öyrənmə" İB Democracy Learning Public Union | mirelihuseynov@gmail.com |
Hafiz Hasanov | "Hьquq və İnkişaf" İB Law and Development Public Association | himerkez@yahoo.com |
"Neftзilərin Hьquqlarını Müdafiə Komitəsi "İB Committee for the Protection of Oilworkers' Rights | mirvari.gahramanli@gmail.com | |
İREX Hüquqşünas IREX lawyer | amammadli@irex.org | |
Alovsat Aliyev
| "Azərbaycan Miqrasiya Mərkəzi" İB Azerbaijan Migration Center | aaliyev@clam-az.org |
Leyla Yunus
| "Sьlh və Demokratiya İnstitutu" İB Peace and Democracy Institute | ipd1995@gmail.com |
Demokratik İslahatlar Uğrunda Cəmiyyət (DIUC) For the Sake of Democratic Reforms Union | ||
Hikmət Hacızadə | Farcenter | |
Anar Orucov | Qafqaz Media Tedqiqatlar Merkezi Caucasus Media Investigations Center | |
Eldar Zeynlov | İnsan Hüquqların Müdafiə Mərkəzi İB Center for Protection of Human Rights | eldar.hrca@gmail.com |
Malahat Nasibova
| Demokratiya və QHT-lərin İnkişaf Resurs mərkəzi İB Democracy and NGO Development Resource Center | malahat.nasib@gmail.com |
Elcin Abdullayev
| Demokratik Təsisatlar və İnsan Hüquqları ictimai birliyi Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Public Union
| dihrsu@gmail.com |
Əhməd Abbasbəyli | Cəmiyyətin və Vətəndaş Münasibətlərinin İnkişafı İB Development of Society and Civil Relations Public Union | |
Annagi Hacibayli | Azərbaycan Hьquqзular Assosiasiyası Azerbaijan Lawyers Association | |
Mьzəffər Baxışov | Hьquqi Dцvlət Araşdırmalar Fondu State Legal Research Foundation | |
Irada Javadova | "İnsan Hüquqları üzrə Maarifləndirmə" İB Education on Human Rights Public Assocaition | irada_javadova@yahoo.com |
Sabit Bagirov | Sahibkarlığın və bazar İqtisadiyyatının inkişafına yardım Fondu State Entrepreneurship and Market Economy Assistance Fund | bagirov.sabit@gmail.com |
Xalid Bagirov
| Vəkil Lawyer | xalidshuruk@gmail.com |
Rəsul Cəfərov | İnsan Hüquqları Klubu Human Rights Club Public Union | |
Nasrulla Nurullayev | Ahıl Ziyalılara Qayğı İB Care for the Elderly Intellectuals Public Union | nnurullayev@ gmail.com
|
Zцhrab İsmayıl
| Azad İqtisadiyyata Yardım İB Public Association for Assistance to Free Economy | |
Taleh Əliyev | Vətəndaş Cəmiyyəti İnstitutu İB Civil Society İnstitute Public Union | |
Fuad Həsənov | Demokratiya Monitoru İB Democracy Monitor Public Union | |
Samir Kazımlı | Siyasi Azadlıqların Müdafiə Alyansı Alliance for Defense of Political Freedoms | |
İdrak Abbasov
| Ekstremal Jurnalistika İnstitutu İB Institute of Extreme Journalism Public Union | |
Anar Mammadli | Seзkilərin monitorinqi və Demokratiyanın Tədrisi Mərkəzi Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center |
|
Ziya Quliyev | Hьquq Təşəbbьsləri Məktəbi School of Law Initiatives | |
Emin Hьseynov | Reportyorların Azadlıq və Təhlükəsizlik İnstitutu İB | |
Lamiya Mammadova | Azərbaycan Hьquqşьnaslar Assosiasiyası Azerbaijan Lawyers Association | |
Asima Nasirli | Feminist Qadınlar Hərəkatı Feminist Women Movement | |
Bəxtiyar Hacıyev | Mьsbət Dəyişiklik Gənclər hərəkatı Positive Change Youth Movement | |
Xalid Kazımov
| Regional İnsan Hüquqları və Media Mərkəzi İB Regional Human Rights and Media Center | |
| "Azad Gənclik" Təşkilatı Free Youth Organization | ulvihasanli@gmail.com |
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