Lantos hearing: Azerbaijan’s steadly deteriorating human rights spark fresh concerns in Washington

The Co-Chair of the Congress bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hopes that the next U.S. Administration will take a hard line on Azerbaijan over its steadily deteriorating human rights, should the Azeri government continue to crack down against independent voices.

Speaking to TURAN's Washington correspondent on Thursday, September 15, Congressmen Jim McGovern, co-sponsor of the 'Global Magnitsky' and 'Azerbaijan Democracy' Acts, expressed his deep concern over the latest repression of journalists and civil society activists ahead of a key referendum in Azerbaijan.

"There has to be consequences for corruption and human rights violations," he said, following the hearing called 'Azerbaijan: Do Human Rights Matter?', which focused on the country's current human rights situation, and the U.S. policy.

During the hearing, panelists from Azerbaijan warned Washington that the Baku government has stepped up repression its opponents and free media ahead of a referendum scheduled for September 26 that will strengthen President Ilham Aiyev's authority.

One of the speakers was Turkel Karimli, the son of opposition leader Ali Karimli, who was invited to the hearing but the government would not allow him to travel. "The Azeri Government has refused to reissue [my father's] passport, and he has been living under an effective travel ban for the past decade," Karimli said. "My family has been targeted constantly and over many years. My uncle, who has been imprisoned, has recently received threats against his life. Family members of other party activists were also harassed."

Karimli called the government’s latest propaganda efforts to implicate the PFPA in a Gulenist attempted coup "laughable." The allegations are "totally fabricated and have no factual or evidential basis." Yet in spite of this, three members of the party were arrested and detained on these ridiculous allegations. "There are reports that my father, Ali Karimli, may face the same fate," he said.

With over 100 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, many other political organizations have also been targeted. Five members of NIDA, and REAL leader Ilqar Mammadov are in jail. So is the deputy leader of Musavat party, Faraj Mammadov. "Religious activists have met the same fate. Since the Nardaran Trial 70 religious activists have been imprisoned on false charges."

For Karimli, the Aliyev regime is "afraid not just of political opponents."  "It’s attempting to completely, and decisively eradicate the independent media. The only free newspaper, Azadliq, is being forced into bankruptcy. It cannot obtain its funds from the bank, and it cannot recover monies owed to it from the Government controlled newspaper distribution agency."  Azadliq has ceased publishing its print edition, and without relief from the Government’s actions, it faces a real and pressing danger of being shut down.

"Azerbaijan is at the crossroads." he said. "If the government does not abandon the current and unprecedented level of repression, and if it fails to implement crucial and immediate political and economic reforms, Azerbaijan is in real danger of civil conflict and chaos."

Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Baku, said there are currently 138 political prisoners in the country.  Azerbaijan "has literally become a prison," she said, addressing the hearing via video conference. Today Azeri journalists need help in their fight against corruption, albeit she said, "most depressing thing for an Azerbaijani activist to see is a scared diplomat."   "The hardest day in prison was when I read that US Embassy in Baku did not dispute Azerbaijan claims that RFERL was corrupt."

Richard Kauzlarich, former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, told the commission that the US should abandon "quiet diplomacy" -- it doesn't work -- and more actively confront the Aliyev government. "Quiet diplomacy has turned political prisoners into objects to be traded," he said.

Karimli added that the West must be "quick and decisive in condemning" Azeri regime.

Backdoor diplomacy will not produce any results, and will keep on failing if applied to this Government. We saw how the threat of the Azerbaijani Democracy and Global Magnitsky Acts compelled the Government to ease on the repression in Spring. Such measures should be pushed forward, and specific government officials at the highest level of leadership must be singled out for their corruption and involvement in repressive acts."

Speaking to TURAN's correspondent, Congressmen McGovern said that he and his colleagues hope that the Global Magnitsky Act will "move its way through the Congress by the end of the year."

"But if it doesn't we are going to make an appeal to the Administration to be more aggressive and to do what they already have a power to do --  to sanction individuals who are guilty of corruption and human rights violations."

A.Raufoglu

Washington, D.C.