Washington D.C./Turan: The U.S. State Department cited credible reports of unlawful or arbitrary killing, torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and other related abuses in Azerbaijan, as well as harsh conditions in the country's prisons, in an annual human rights report released on Monday, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
The State Department's 2022 human rights report pointed to credible reports of arbitrary detention of political prisoners, politically motivated reprisal against individuals outside the country, pervasive problems with the independence of the judiciary; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on free expression and the media, and other rights violations.
The reports also highlights violence against journalists, enforcement of criminal defamation laws to limit expression, and harassment and incarceration of journalists on questionable charges; serious restrictions on internet freedom, including blocking of websites; as well as a de facto ban on the rights of peaceful assembly and substantial interference with freedom of association; restrictions on freedom of movement; severe restrictions on political participation and other violations.
The authors also flag systemic government corruption; lack of accountability for gender-based violence among other issues..
The government "did not prosecute or punish the majority of officials who were reported to have committed human rights abuses and acts of corruption; impunity remained a problem," reads the report.
During the year, there were incidents of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan which resulted in casualties and detentions. "There was no reported progress on government investigations of alleged abuses committed by Azerbaijani armed forces or individuals during the 2020 and 2022 hostilities," according to the report.
Speaking at the State Department briefing room to launch the reports, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked why the reports’ findings don’t necessarily influence American foreign policy.
“We’re not pulling our punches with anyone,” Blinken replied. “Sometimes we do it more publicly; sometimes we do it more privately. We’re trying to determine in each instance how we can hopefully be most effective in advancing human rights and advancing human dignity.”
Blinken’s comments were mirrored by Erin Barclay, acting assistant secretary of state for the bureau of democracy, human rights and labor, when asked by TURAN's Washington correspondent whether Washington was running out of tools to get political prisoners, such as Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Ali Aliyev in Azerbaijan, President Saakashvili in Georgia and many others, whose have been highlighted in the reports, out of jail.
"... You mentioned issues of political prisoners. This is front and center in all of our diplomacy bilaterally and multilaterally," she said in response. "We regularly raise cases, individual cases of political prisoners with appropriate officials, and we will continue to do that going forward," she added.
The 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices is the 47th such report that the authors have presented to the U.S. Congress. The State Department is required by law to report annually on the status of internationally recognized human and worker rights in all countries that are members of the UN.
Alex Raufoglu
Politics
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