[governance] news from Baku

Izumi AIZU iza at anr.org
Sat Jun 30 20:26:07 EDT 2012 

Aye, and Sala would you please prepare the draft?

izumi


2012/6/24 Ginger Paque <ginger at paque.net>

>  Aye
>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro <salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro at gmail.com
>> >
>> To: governance <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>; Narine Khachatryan <
>> ms.narine.khachatryan at gmail.com>
>> Cc: Jean-Louis FULLSACK <jlfullsack at orange.fr>
>> Sent: Sat, Jun 23, 2012 3:50 am
>> Subject: Re: [governance] news from Baku
>>
>>  I propose that we as Civil Society issue a Statement. All in favour,
>> say AYE and those not in favour saÿ NAY.
>>
>> Feel free to give reasons if you so wish.
>>
>> On 6/22/12, Narine Khachatryan <ms.narine.khachatryan at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Dear all,
>> >
>> > Recently the Azerbaijani parliament restricted the public access to
>> > information about the registration, ownership structure and shareholders of
>> > Azerbaijani corporations. Justification is to protect the privacy of Azeri
>> > president and his family.  Interesting. Henceforth, the general public
>> > would be denied such information, since it “contradicts the national
>> > interests of Azerbaijan".
>> >
>> > Azerbaijan: Parliament Throws Veil of Secrecy over Business Sector
>> >
>> > http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65534
>> > June 13, 2012 - 12:00pm, by Shahin
>> > Abbasov<http://www.eurasianet.org/taxonomy/term/1358>
>> >
>> >
>> >    - Azerbaijan <http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/azerbaijan>
>> >    - EurasiaNet's Weekly
>> > Digest<http://www.eurasianet.org/taxonomy/term/3279>
>> >
>> >    - Azeri Economy <http://www.eurasianet.org/taxonomy/term/3864>
>> >    - Azeri Politics <http://www.eurasianet.org/taxonomy/term/3670>
>> >
>> > Recent legislative efforts in Azerbaijan to protect the privacy of
>> > President Ilham Aliyev and his family are coming at the expense of
>> > investors, both foreign and domestic.
>> >
>> > The Azerbaijani parliament voted June 12 to restrict public access to
>> > information about the registration, ownership structure and shareholders of
>> > Azerbaijani corporations. In addition, legislators granted President Aliyev
>> > and his wife, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, lifetime immunity from criminal
>> > prosecution.
>> >
>> > The immunity provision for the Aliyevs was not unexpected: the proposal had
>> > been under consideration for a year. But the corporate secrecy amendment
>> > was added to parliament’s agenda only after the conclusion of the May
>> > 22-26 Eurovision
>> > Song Contest <http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65459>.
>> >
>> > The pop-music festival, which brought unprecedented international attention
>> > to Azerbaijan, was preceded by a series of articles by RFE/RL investigative
>> > journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who highlighted alleged conflicts of
>> > interest involving mining rights granted to a gold-mining
>> > company<http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65357>owned
>> > by President Aliyev’s two daughters, Leyla and Arzu, and Eurovision
>> > construction work <http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65389>by a company linked
>> > to the two Aliyevas and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, the head of
>> > Eurovision’s organizing committee. [Editor’s Note: Islamyilova also
>> > contributes to EurasiaNet].
>> >
>> > By law, officials’ relatives may own businesses, but members of parliament
>> > – the First Lady sits in the legislature for the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan
>> > Party – cannot.
>> >
>> > In public statements, government officials have asserted that such
>> > investigative coverage violated the presidential family’s right to
>> > privacy<http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62572>.
>> > The articles followed earlier pieces that examined the Aliyeva daughters’
>> > investments in telecommunications, airport operations and banking.
>> >
>> > Under the terms of the secrecy amendment, obtaining information about such
>> > investments now could prove more difficult. The government will release
>> > information about the registrations of for-profit companies only upon
>> > request by a court, law-enforcement agency or Central Bank monitors
>> > investigating suspected money-laundering or the financing of terrorist
>> > groups.
>> >
>> > Journalists and the general public would be denied such information if its
>> > distribution “contradicts the national interests of Azerbaijan in
>> > political, economic and monetary policy, the defense of public order, the
>> > health and moral values of the people and harms the commercial and other
>> > interests of individuals.”
>> >
>> > In addition, corporate records will be provided only if the petitioner has
>> > the consent of those individuals named in the data.
>> >
>> > Information about registered Azerbaijani companies’ ownership and
>> > shareholders previously had been publicly available on the Ministry of
>> > Taxes’ website. The ministry was required to provide registry details to
>> > citizens within a week of receipt of a written request.
>> >
>> > All but four of the 103 members of parliament present voted in favor of the
>> > restrictions. Another two MPs did not vote; First Lady Aliyeva was not
>> > present.
>> >
>> > President Aliyev is expected to sign the secrecy and immunity amendments
>> > into law this week.
>> >
>> > Government officials have not commented on the amendments, but one senior
>> > Yeni Azerbaijani Party MP who backed the new restrictions claimed the
>> > measure does not limit Azerbaijanis’ right to information. In June 6
>> > comments to the Azeri-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,
>> > Ali Huseynly, chair of the parliament’s Committee on Legal Policy and State
>> > Building, claimed that the amendment “clarifies the frameworks for the
>> > right to receive information.” The lack of such “frameworks” often leads to
>> > “violations,” Huseynly added.
>> >
>> > Parliamentarian Fazail Agamaly, a member of the pro-government Ana Vatan
>> > (Motherland) Party, asserted that “[j]ournalists should be satisfied with
>> > the information about a company provided by its owner.”
>> >
>> > “Otherwise, the release of some information could create financial problems
>> > for businesses,” Agamaly reasoned.
>> >
>> > Civil society and media-rights watchdogs counter that the secrecy
>> > amendment, indeed, is designed to prevent problems – namely, for Aliyev’s
>> > friends and family members.
>> >
>> > Lawyer Intigam Aliyev [no relation to the presidential family], director of
>> > the Legal Education Society, a Baku non-governmental organization that
>> > monitors legislation implementation, asserted the amendment is “a response
>> > of corrupt authorities to a number of articles in local and foreign media
>> > about the large business assets of the ruling family in Azerbaijan and
>> > oligarchs.”
>> >
>> > Opposition MP Igbal Aghazade, a member of the Umid (Hope) Party, who voted
>> > against the amendment, said the measure only “serves the idea of keeping
>> > information about the commercial interests of a group of high-ranking
>> > government officials a secret.”
>> >
>> > Restricting the availability of company data from the public can harm the
>> > country’s ability to fight corruption, noted Media Rights Institute
>> > Director Rashid Hajily. In 2011, Azerbaijan ranked 143rd out of 183
>> > countries in a corruption index compiled by the international watchdog
>> > group Transparency International.
>> >
>> > "Citizens will be deprived of public [oversight] over officials’ links with
>> > businesses," Hajily said. "It creates a strong foundation for the
>> > proliferation of conflicts of interest.”
>> >
>> > Meanwhile, activists who tried to
>> > highligh<http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65388>t
>> > Azerbaijan’s spotty civil-rights record during the Eurovision contest say
>> > that they will fight back against the “business secrets” amendment. “We
>> > will campaign both locally and internationally, will demand in public
>> > debates the annulment of this legislation, will raise the issue at related
>> > international conferences and in interviews with foreign media,” pledged
>> > Rasul Jafarov, head of the Human Rights Club, a Baku-based non-governmental
>> > organization.
>> > Editor's note:
>> >  Shahin Abbasov is a freelance reporter based in Baku.
>> >
>> > On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 1:53 PM, Jean-Louis FULLSACK
>> > <jlfullsack at orange.fr>wrote:
>> >
>> >> Dear members of the list
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> latest news from Baku published by IPS
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Jean-Louis Fullsack
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> After the Curtain Call, a Crackdown Begins
>> >> By Shahla Sultanova <http://www.ipsnews.net/author/shahla-sultanova/>
>> >> Republish
>> >> |
>> >>
>> >> BAKU, Jun 19 2012 (IPS) - As the attention of the world faded away from
>> >> Azerbaijan after the recent Eurovision song contest, police began
>> >> targeting
>> >> some young activists and a journalist involved in protests here last
>> >> month.
>> >>
>> >> The Eurovision song contest was as much a moment of enjoyment for music
>> >> lovers as it was a fierce contest between the Azerbaijani government and
>> >> its opponents to highlight the ‘reality’ of a politically turbulent
>> >> country; with the former presenting a respectable image to the West, and
>> >> the latter struggling to expose human rights violations and government
>> >> suppression of basic civil liberties.
>> >>
>> >> More than ten protest rallies were organised on the eve of the contest.
>> >>
>> >> Human rights defenders and activists had anticipated a post-Eurovision
>> >> crackdown, when the spotlight had turned away from the country and the
>> >> government would be free to punish those who had dared to educate the
>> >> world
>> >> about the grave situation on the ground in Azerbaijan.
>> >>
>> >> On Jun. 6, the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS), a
>> >> media
>> >> rights watchdog, was notified by the Sabail District Police Office that a
>> >> photo journalist named Mehman Huseynov, an IRFS member, had allegedly
>> >> insulted police officers during a protest on May 21.
>> >>
>> >> The district police office has now opened a criminal case against
>> >> Huseynov
>> >> under Article 221.2.2 of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
>> >> If
>> >> found guilty, Huseynov will face five years in prison.
>> >>
>> >> Huseynov (23), said the accusation is related to his work, which for many
>> >> years has entailed photographing events that depict government
>> >> wrongdoings
>> >> and disseminating them via social media.
>> >>
>> >> Several months prior to Eurovision, Huseynov actively joined the Sing for
>> >> Democracy Campaign.
>> >>
>> >> “I was media coordinator within the campaign. My photos and videos were
>> >> shared in international media.  Of course, they showed the reality of
>> >> Azerbaijan, (which) is unfortunately not very positive. That is why I am
>> >> a
>> >> target now,” he told IPS.
>> >>
>> >> Over 30 human rights organisations joined Sing for Democracy in an effort
>> >> to pressure organisers of the contest to demand greater democracy in
>> >> Azerbaijan.
>> >>
>> >> The campaign called for the release of political prisoners, freedom of
>> >> expression and assembly, protection of property rights and the
>> >> independence
>> >> of courts.
>> >>
>> >> IRFS head Emin Huseynov, Mehman Huseynov’s older brother, links the
>> >> accusation against the latter with his profession. “It is the start of
>> >> the
>> >> post-Eurovision crackdown. It is revenge against the IRFS for actively
>> >> informing foreign journalists and international media on the eve of
>> >> Eurovision about many harassment cases in Azerbaijan. Besides, during
>> >> seven
>> >> years of work, we investigated many cases of pressure on journalists.
>> >> Now,
>> >> they want to punish us.”
>> >>
>> >> Before the song contest, Leyla Yunus, director of the Institute of Peace
>> >> and Democracy, had often warned of a serious backlash after the
>> >> Eurovision-fuelled tourist season died down. She believes Mehman Huseynov
>> >> is the first victim of that campaign.
>> >>
>> >> “Mehman’s work has been shared and discussed recently. Besides, he is
>> >> working for IRFS, which is critical of the government. By arresting him
>> >> they want to (blacklist) a good photo journalist and put pressure on his
>> >> brother Emin.”
>> >>
>> >> Various other activists were also brought into police stations this week.
>> >>
>> >> Beyim Hasanli, a member of the opposition Popular Front Party’s Youth
>> >> Committee was called in to the Sebayil district police station on Jun. 9.
>> >>
>> >> She was asked how she got information about the May 21 protest action and
>> >> why she attended it. Hasanli was also asked if she ever noticed a media
>> >> representative being rude to the police.
>> >>  Related IPS Articles
>> >>
>> >>    - Sex and Censorship in
>> >> Azerbaijan<http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/05/sex-and-censorship-in-azerbaijan/>
>> >>    - Arab Spring at Azerbaijan’s
>> >> Door<http://ipsnews.net/2011/04/arab-spring-at-azerbaijanrsquos-door>
>> >>    - Azerbaijan and Israel: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My
>> >> Friend<http://ipsnews.net/2012/02/azerbaijan-and-israel-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend>
>> >>
>> >>  “After that they showed me a video in which I was trying to help a woman
>> >> dragged by police. There were many journalists, including Mehman, who
>> >> tried
>> >> to film it but police would not let them do so. It also showed Mehman
>> >> (swearing) when he was not allowed to film.”
>> >>
>> >> After that Hasanli was asked to write a report on what she saw on video.
>> >>
>> >> A week ago, her father was called in to the Absheron district Main Police
>> >> Office and asked to sign a statement promising to be responsible for his
>> >> daughter’s activities.
>> >>
>> >> Hasanli claims all this was done to intimidate and discourage her from
>> >> being an activist.
>> >>
>> >> Natig Adilov, a journalist with the opposition Azadlig newspaper and
>> >> activist with the Popular Front Party, was called in to the Sabirabad
>> >> police station on Jun. 13, where he was “advised” to get involved in
>> >> better
>> >> activities than participating in protest rallies.
>> >>
>> >> “They do it to scare people so that they stop their public activity. For
>> >> autocratic regimes like this, intimidation is very important to manage
>> >> their (stronghold). It is also related to me being very active during
>> >> Eurovision,” said Adilov.
>> >>
>> >> Ehsan Zahidov, spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the
>> >> recent slew of interrogations against activists and journalists has
>> >> nothing
>> >> to do with their activity during the Eurovision song contest or their
>> >> political background but pertained to them violating “rules”.
>> >>
>> >> “To advise people (on how to behave) is part of the job of police
>> >> officers. They do not care about the political activity of citizens.
>> >> Natig
>> >> Adilov was just advised not to violate public order. That is it,” he told
>> >> IPS.
>> >>
>> >> For Arzu Abdullayeva, human rights defender and co-chair of the Helsinki
>> >> Citizens Assembly, recent pressure on journalists is not limited to
>> >> Eurovision activity.
>> >>
>> >> “Activists have always been a threat to the Azerbaijani government. By
>> >> (putting) pressure on activists, journalists, by arresting them, the
>> >> government (lets potential dissidents) know that they will have the same
>> >> future.”
>> >>
>> >> Human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights
>> >> Watch condemned the accusation against Huseynov.
>> >>
>> >> The authorities should “drop the bogus charges against Huseynov and
>> >> ensure
>> >> that he can exercise his right to freedom of expression”, Human Rights
>> >> Watch said in its recent report.
>> >>
>> >> Amnesty International’s statement mentions that Huseynov’s arrest comes
>> >> amid a worrying rise in police harassment of young activists who
>> >> participated in protests around Eurovision.
>> >>
>> >> According to Max Tucker, Amnesty International’s Azerbaijan campaigner,
>> >> Mehman’s arrest signals the start of the widely predicted government
>> >> crackdown on those they consider responsible for negative publicity
>> >> during
>> >> Eurovision.
>> >>
>> >> (END)
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> ____________________________________________________________
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>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Media Education Center
>> > Yerevan, Armenia
>> >
>> > www.mediaeducation.am
>> > www.safe.am
>> > www.immasin.am
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>> Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala
>>
>> Tweeter: @SalanietaT
>> Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro
>> Cell: +679 998 2851
>>
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>>
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>
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-- 
                     >> Izumi Aizu <<
Institute for InfoSocionomics, Tama University, Tokyo
Institute for HyperNetwork Society, Oita,
Japan
www.anr.org
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