US Helsinki Commission to host a hearing on Azerbaijan

The US Helsinki Commission, a congressional group that monitors human rights and international cooperation in 57 countries, will host a hearing on Azerbaijan June 11 focusing on security, economic and human rights dimensions of US-Azerbaijan relations, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"As the Helsinki Commission prepares to attend the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session in Baku at the end of June, this hearing will examine the US-Azerbaijan relationship and the impact of regional and domestic issues in Azerbaijan on that relationship," according to the organizers of the event. 

The following witnesses are scheduled to testify: 
Tom Melia, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Department of State
Eric Rubin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State
Miriam Lanskoy, Director for Russia and Eurasia, National Endowment for Democracy
Brenda Shaffer, Visiting Researcher, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown University

The Commission reminds that Azerbaijan has been an ally of the US since its independence in 1991. It is a supplier of energy to Europe and has played an important role in assisting the US and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan through the contribution of troops and as a conduit for the Northern Distribution Network.

"Azerbaijan is a participating State in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and in May it assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Council of Europe (COE). Despite membership in both of Europe’s leading human rights institutions, Azerbaijan has been consistently criticized for its undemocratic elections and its use of the judicial system to punish political opponents," reads the announcement of the event.