'Little Interest In Reform': U.S. Religious Freedom Body's Updated Report Reflects Abuses In Azerbaijan
'Little Interest In Reform': U.S. Religious Freedom Body's Updated Report Reflects Abuses In Azerbaijan
The U.S. religious freedom body USCIRF on Tuesday released a new report that provides an update on religious freedom conditions in Azerbaijan, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"Although Azerbaijan has in recent years ceased some problematic practices regarding state interference in its people’s practice of their religion or beliefs, the government has shown little interest in reforming laws and policies that violate Azerbaijan’s international human rights commitments," reads the reports.
Within the last three years, the government has twice amended its religion law to introduce new restrictions on a variety of religious activities, the authors claim.
The report describes the legislative framework that facilitates the official regulation of religious practice, concerns for religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ongoing repression of Shi’a Muslim religious activists, and the impact of the government’s refusal to allow conscientious objection.
"Authorities continued to routinely surveil, fine, detain, and arrest Shi’a Muslims throughout the year," reads the report.
Earlier this year, USCIRF recommended that the State Department include Azerbaijan on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.
Politics
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On January 23, the Baku Court of Appeal considered the complaint of Meydan TV journalist Natig Javadli against the refusal to transfer him to house arrest.
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On January 23, the Deputy Commander of the Azerbaijani Ground Forces, Ilgar Latifov, met with a Pakistani delegation headed by the Director General of Military Operations, Abdullah Kashif. The parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, as well as the importance of increasing the intensity of joint exercises.
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The announcement of 2025 as the "Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty" in Azerbaijan has sparked rumors and speculation about the government's plans to hold a constitutional referendum this year. Today's statement in the Milli Majlis by the head of the parliamentary committee on human rights and concurrently the director of the Center for Humanitarian Studies, Zahid Oruj, confirmed that these expectations are not groundless.
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As part of the peace process with Azerbaijan, Armenia has proposed solutions to all agenda issues, stated Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, on January 23. "We are not asking for peace, we are offering peaceful solutions to all existing issues. For the two unresolved points, we have sent proposals and are waiting for a response from the Azerbaijani side. We hope that we will find solutions," Grigoryan said, according to Armenian media. Meanwhile, the press service of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Turan that "negotiations on the text of the peace agreement are ongoing."
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