EMDTC notes deepening human rights crisis in Azerbaijan

Baku/28.01.23/Turan: The Election Monitoring and Democracy Training Centre (EMDTC) has published a report on civil and political rights violations in Azerbaijan in 2022 based on information gathered from alternative and open sources.

The EMDTC assessed violations of civil and political rights in 229 cases based on citizens' appeals and media monitoring.

"In 2022, as in previous years, pressures on citizens for political dissent, prosecution for government critics, and dispersal of peaceful rallies continued," the study said.

The media law, which came into force in 2022, brought new restrictions on freedom of expression, on media activities.

"Overall, members of the independent media have been under consistent pressures throughout the year. Independent journalists have faced violence and threats due to their professional activities, access to websites has been blocked and there have been instances of hacking into social media accounts," the report further noted.

A new law on political parties, which contains regulations restricting political participation and freedom of association in the country, was also adopted without taking into account the views of local and international organisations.

Furthermore, there has been no progress in bringing the regulations governing civil society in line with Council of Europe standards.

The ECHR ruling on the restoration of the rights of human rights defenders arrested on political grounds in 2013-2014 has not been fully implemented.

As of the end of the year, prominent civil society activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was arrested.

During its analysis of 229 cases of human rights violations, the EMDTC found 65 violations of the right to a fair trial, 46 of freedom of expression, 45 of the prohibition of torture and other forms of inhuman treatment, 40 of the right to liberty and security, 20 of freedom of expression and three of freedom of association.

The right to a fair trial was violated most often in trials of activists held under Article 510 (disorderly conduct) and Article 535 (failure to obey police) of the Code of Administrative Offences, as well as under Article 234 (drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code.

The report concludes with a number of recommendations.

In particular, it suggests implementing the CE Committee of Ministers' recommendations to ensure the independence of the judicial and legal system, to dismiss from law enforcement and judicial bodies the individuals whose actions have contributed to the violations found by the ECHR.

The authorities should stop political prosecution and release political prisoners. Complaints of tortures should be investigated in a timely and effective manner. ECHR judgments should be fully implemented, the report further noted.

Besides, laws on the media, on political parties, on grants and on register of legal entities should be improved to take into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission of the CE, the EMDTC said.

Recall that the Centre for Election Monitoring was established in 2008 on the basis of the de-registered Election Monitoring Centre but was not granted state registration.

In 2022 and 2023, the European Court declared the deregistration of the Election Monitoring Centre and refusal to register the Centre for Monitoring of Elections illegitimate . -06В-