At the Tbilisi meeting of the members of the National Council, Chair Rustam Ibrahimbekov approved an appeal to American and European forces. The text that was posted to Turan says as follows:
“This year offers one last opportunity for the people of Azerbaijan to have peaceful free elections and a smooth transition to democracy. We appeal to US and European organizations and institutions not to stand by and see Azerbaijan lose this last chance.
When a US Congressional delegation met with President Aliyev in early July, members raised concerns about whether Rustam Ibragimbekov, the opposition’s unified candidate, would be permitted to participate in the elections. They received guarantees that there would be no prevention of his participation.
The US Helsinki Commission held a briefing in the US Congress on July 16 about human rights in Azerbaijan (“Briefing: Troubled Partner: Growing Authoritarianism in Azerbaijan”), the US State Department and non-governmental organizations experts emphasized the importance of creating a free environment for Mr. Ibragimbekov to participate in the upcoming elections.
The Azerbaijan government, afraid of such a strong opponent, has not yet invited the OSCE and the European Parliament to observe the elections.
Fabricated charges against Mr. Ibragimbekov are being developed. People working in the movie industry are being interrogated and urged to offer false testimonies against Mr. Ibragimbekov. They are being accused of corruption and bribery and urged to testify that Mr. Ibragimbekov is behind such deplorable practices. It would be difficult to find anyone in Azerbaijan who would believe such charges. It is clear that the main goal of these interrogations and false allegations is to create a criminal case against Mr. Ibragimbekov so that he can be arrested upon his arrival in Baku and to prevent him from participating in the elections.
These aggressive actions by the government show that it is the government’s intent to jail Rustam Ibragimbekov, a famous and beloved Oscar-winning screenwriter and producer of many well-known movies.
The National Council appeals to the US Congress, the US government, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, OSCE, and the European Parliament not to let this to happen. The National Council appeals to the international community to stand with the Azerbaijan people and demand that the Azerbaijan government follow its promises and commitments and allow Rustam Ibragimbekov to freely participate as a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan.
The National Council held its most recent meeting with Mr. Ibragimbekov in Tbilisi rather than Baku out of concern about his possible arrest. -- 02D---
Politics
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