NGOs campaigns for the protection of civil society

Recent amendments to the law on NGOs in Azerbaijan are reactionary by nature and focus on the final survival of independent civil society institutions. This was the leitmotif of the conference held on December 25, "The situation of civil society in Azerbaijan and its future: changes in the law in the context of the Universal Periodic Report of the United Nations." The conference was organized jointly by the Centre for International Studies and the Center for Legal Initiatives.

On December 17, the Milli Majlis made eight amendments and about 50 amendments to the laws "On State Registration of Legal Entities and State Register," "Non-Governmental Organizations (Associations and Foundations),"On Grants" and the Code of Administrative misconduct. "Seven additions relate to increasing the level of fines, one - to suspend the activities of NGOs for a year. Amendments subjected NGOs to risks prosecution for non-deliberate mistakes. Thus, according to the additions, the upper limit of fines for legal entities on certain offenses is 8,000 manat for individuals is three thousand manat. 

According to the Centre National and International Studies, Leyla Aliyeva, Azerbaijan continues pressure on civil society, which has no effective mechanism to combat this. According to her, four years ago, the UN offered Azerbaijan 40 recommendations, and today - 162.  The Azerbaijani authorities, she said, ignore the recommendations of the UN. "In  the response to the UN  the authorities write that the situation in these areas is good. We can only improve these areas. This response leads to the isolation of Azerbaijan," says Leyla Aliyeva.

Civil society will be actively involved in the monitoring carried out in the tie with Universal Periodic UN report , prepared for this purpose "road map ."

The Head of the Legal Education Society, Intigam Aliyev, believes that the situation is very difficult , however , civil society must use all measures to control the situation. Financial and human resources are expiring due to increasing pressure. Recent amendments  make impossible the activities of local and foreign NGOs.

Azerbaijan believes that  it has fulfilled all obligations before the UN, and even sent to the  UN experts standing invitation on conducting monitoring. Nevertheless, it is expected that in summer 2014 the UN will make decision in connection with the freedom of assembly in Azerbaijan , said the head of the Center for Legal Initiatives, Zia Guliyev. According to him, the authorities aim to subjugate the NGOs.

"Azerbaijani  NGOs should use the Belarusian variant. We can act in Georgia , as Belarusian NGOs operate in Poland. Azerbaijani NGOs should boycott the State Council to support NGOs,"  said the executive secretary of the movement REAL  Natig Jafarli.

Speakers consider necessary conducting monitoring  of grants allocated for the development civil society. For example, USAID  allocates millions of dollars for the development of civil society, but most of these funds  are available to finance projects pro-governmental NGOs. It necessary to determine to whom and for what specific projects these funds are allocated, said  the head of the Center for Economic Research Gubad Ibadoglu.

A proposal was made on January 15 and March 15  on conducting different  actions  due to protection of civil society in Azerbaijan.

The participants of the conference adopted a statement  expressing a serious concern at the increasing pressure on civil society , NGOs, the media, and political parties. The statement  of the authors argue about the serious lag in the implementation of commitments made to the international organizations in the field of human rights and freedoms. They  call on the authorities to implement the recommendations of the United Nations, brought into conformity with international standards legislation regulating NGOs , as well as an end to pressure on civil  society.  -03C04-