Anar Mammadli: Working Group Not Credible

Kept under arrest, the head of the Center for Monitoring Elections and Democracy Studies (CMEDS) Anar Mammadli expressed his distrust of the Working Group on Human Rights re-established by the authorities. Through his lawyers Mammadli gave comments to Turan.

"Creation of the Joint Working Group on Human Rights in the present circumstances is not due to any sincere desire of the government to establish a dialogue with civil society for the protection of political freedoms. Rather, it all looks like a simulation.

So, from the first day the doors of this group have been closed for authoritative representatives of civil society known for their independent stance. The group represents only 2-3 independent civil society activists, which is not enough.

Most members of the group are those who have spoken in support of political repression, or kept silent on the matter," said Mammadli.

The best way to win public trust would be efforts to release, at least under house arrest, such human rights activists as Arif and Leyla Yunus, or Intigam Aliyev.

"But in this area there are no initiatives. If the government wants to solve the problem of political prisoners, it should eliminate the situation where the citizens because of their social position may at any time be arrested," Mammadli believes.

* Anar Mammadli was arrested on 17 December 2013. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison for illegal business, malpractice and tax evasion.

Amnesty International declared Mammadli a prisoner of conscience. He was awarded the Prize of Vaclav Havel.

Earlier the human rights activist Novella Jafaroglu expressed the view that the establishment of the Working Group was by no means easy. "If there were a strong civil society, which enjoys massive popular support, the establishment of the Working Group would not be necessary. Therefore, when there is no strong society, there is a need to start dialogue with the government," the human rights activist said. -06D--