Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Azerbaijani government of adopting a Å“deliberate, abusive strategy” to clamp down on freedom of expression in the Caspian Sea country.
In a report released on Monday, the rights group said the Azerbaijani authorities have arrested activists, dispersed peaceful anti-government demonstrations and adopted laws which curb freedom of speech and assembly.
“It is a very comprehensive crackdown. And we are not talking about just numbers, we are talking about actual legislative framework, the qualitative changes for the work of the civil society in the country,” said HRW senior South Caucasus researcher Giorgi Gogia.
“Prosecuting people who criticize the authorities and report on issues of public interest is a cynical and transparent attempt to stifle government critics,” he added.
The report, titled Å“Tightening the Screws: Azerbaijanâ„¢s Crackdown on Civil Society and Dissent,” noted that the crackdown on activists and journalists intensified before presidential election, which will be held in October.
“Seven members of [the youth opposition movement NIDA] are behind bars currently on various trumped-up charges. And it is striking that the youngest member of this group is 18 and the oldest is 28, and they are in prison on various trumped-up charges,” Gogia said.
“When I say the trumped-up charges, we investigated these cases in great detail and there were numerous due-process violations,” he pointed out.
The Azerbaijani government usually meets any display of public dissatisfaction or political dissent in the oil-rich nation with a tough response.
On May 27, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, called on Baku to free all detainees jailed for criticizing President Ilham Aliyevâ„¢s government.
Å“Journalists, bloggers, activists and other independent thinkers continue to experience severe limitations to their freedom of expression in Azerbaijan,” Muiznieks said.
Azerbaijan is set to hold its presidential election on October 9, with President Aliyev running for the third five-year term in office after a 2009 constitutional amendment removed a two-term limit on holding the presidency.
MN/MHB
Republished from: Press TV