Following Azerbaijani authorities’ May 12 arrest of two members of the N!DA youth movement, Freedom House issued the following statement:
“After releasing 24 political and religious prisoners, Azerbaijani authorities seem eager to fill the empty cells with more freedom defenders,” said Robert Herman, vice-president for emergency assistance programs and multilateral advocacy. “None of Azerbaijan’s repressive laws have been repealed. Democratic countries should demand that Azerbaijan respect fundamental freedoms and permit civil society to operate freely.”
Bayram Mamedov and Giyaseddin Ibragim, two members of the Azerbaijani youth movement N!DA, were detained on May 10 and charged with possession of illegal drugs. A court in Baku ordered them detained for four months. If convicted, the activists face up to 12 years in prison. Civil society activists believe the real cause for arrest was graffiti painted by unknown persons on the monument for Heydar Aliyev, the former president and father of the current president. The graffiti, saying “Happy Slaves’ Day,” appeared on the monument on May 10, Heydar Aliyev’s birthday, marked by the government as a holiday.
Over the past two months, the government released from custody two dozen human rights activists and other political and religious prisoners, and let human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus leave the country. At the same time the Azerbaijani authorities began a smear campaign against the opposition Popular Front Party, opened a criminal case against 15 journalists of the independent media Meydan TV, and threatened other activists.
Azerbaijan is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2016, Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2016, Partly Free inFreedom on the Net 2015, and receives a democracy score of 6.86 on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 as the worst possible score, in Nations in Transit 2016.
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights. -0-
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An online meeting of civil society activists focused on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, convened on the initiative of the Justice Solidarity Committee, highlighted significant concerns over the detention of journalists, political activists, and opponents of the war. The gathering, held on August 30, coincided with the International Day of Remembrance of the Missing and underscored the ongoing challenges facing both Azerbaijani and Armenian societies in the wake of the Karabakh conflicts.
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No precipitation is expected in Baku and on the Absheron Peninsula; the northwestern wind will change to a southeastern wind during the day. Air temperatures will range from 21-26°C at night and 33-38°C during the day, according to the National Hydrometeorology Service of the Ministry of Ecology.
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A fire has erupted at the Experimental and Testing Production of the Scientific Research Institute of SOCAR (the state oil company) in the Surakhani district of Baku, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. "Thanks to the urgent and necessary measures taken by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the spread of the fire to neighboring areas, including nearby residential buildings, has been prevented," the statement reads. Efforts to extinguish the fire are still ongoing.
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In September, the average monthly air temperature in Azerbaijan is expected to be close to the climatic norm. Precipitation levels will also be near the norm, but in some areas, they will exceed it, according to the September forecast from the National Hydrometeorological Service.
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