[governance] Rights issues in Azerbaijan / What will CS @ Baku do?
Katy P
katycarvt at gmail.com
Thu May 3 21:37:21 EDT 2012
Is it standard for this list to post entire news stories?
On May 3, 2012 12:53 PM, "Koven Ronald" <kovenronald at aol.com> wrote:
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> Thursday, May 03, 2012 19:48 GMT
> *
> Sex and Censorship in Azerbaijan
>
> Bari Bates*
> *BRUSSELS, May 2 (IPS) - Khadija Ismayilova sat calmly, her face, voice
> and movements doing nothing to break the composed demeanour with which she
> recounted the Azeri government’s attempt to completely discredit her as a
> journalist.*
> In early March, Ismayilova received a package containing six photos of
> herself having sex, taken from hidden cameras planted inside her home by
> unknown persons.
>
> The package contained more than just intimate pictures of the journalist
> responsible for uncovering cases of corruption within the government -
> there was a clear message of intimidation, filled with coarse language and
> insults, meant to deter not only Ismayilova, but anyone else from further
> investigating the government’s actions.
>
> But Ismayilova has a message of her own. Despite the intimacy of the smear
> campaign, she went public with her story, in the hopes of embarrassing the
> government by exposing the illegal means they employ tointimidate
> journalists <http://ipsnews.net/new_focus/expressfreedom/index.asp> and
> rights activists within the country.
>
> Then a video of the journalist, in the same explicit situation, appeared
> on a fake mirror website of Azerbaijan’s main opposition party, according
> to Amnesty International, though party leaders have stoutly denied
> connections between their party and the website in question.
>
> In a conservative country like Azerbaijan, Ismayilova believes the
> government hoped to use the video and photographs to discredit her work.
>
> *Deadly censorship*
>
> She is not the first victim of this crude tactic. Other journalists before
> her have been subject to public humiliation by sexually explicit images of
> themselves being aired on television but she is the first to speak out
> openly about it.
>
> And Ismayilova’s story is only the latest in a string of crackdowns on
> journalists within the country.
>
> President Ilham Aliyev, who abolished presidential term limits in 2009,
> has a web of family members in positions of power<http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55201> throughout
> the country, which has piqued the interest of Azeri journalists working to
> investigate corruption and probe the reaches of government control.
>
> According to Ismayilova, the president’s cousin runs a television channel
> that aired images of an opposition journalist masturbating.
>
> For others, investigative journalism has been undertaken not only at the
> cost of civil rights and liberties, but also their lives. As of March 2012,
> Ismayilova said seven journalists had been kidnapped, and two more were
> being held without access to lawyers or contact with family members.
>
> Elmar Huseynov, an Azerbaijani journalist who reported on politics and
> corruption, was shot to death in the stairway of his apartment building on
> Mar. 2, 2005. His family reported that the journalist had received threats
> prior to his death, and feared for his safety.
>
> Seven years later, the investigation is at a standstill, and no one has
> been brought to justice for the loss of his life. Head of the Central Asia
> and Europe desk for Reporters Without Borders, Johann Bihr, called the case
> "a threat that constantly hangs over (journalists, members of the
> opposition party and human rights defenders)" in an article in ‘Running
> Scared: Azerbaijan’s Silenced Voices<http://www.indexoncensorship.org/Documents/Azerbaijan/12-03-26-azerbaijan.pdf>’,
> a publication from the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan
> (IPGA).
>
> "In virtually no case of violence against a journalist since Huseynov’s
> murder has there been a serious investigation or prosecution for an attack.
> The result is a climate of fear in which journalists know that, should they
> decide to criticise the authorities, they are vulnerable to attacks that
> are either organised or endorsed by officials," Bihr said.
>
> With concerns over freedom of expression in the country, 10 members of the
> European Parliament issued a letter to Commissioner Štefan Füle, asking
> that the government of Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev be "taken to
> task" to ensure the safety of Khadija Ismayilova and to create an
> environment that allows journalists and human rights activists to "work
> free from intimidation, blackmail and violence."
>
> *Freedom of expression*
>
> Opposition journalists are not the lone targets of government efforts to
> muzzle free speech. Citizens have been forbidden from protesting in Baku
> since 2005 and state forces used harsh measures against activists who took
> to the streets in March and April 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring.
>
> Ismayilova explained the only freedom of assembly allowed in Azerbaijan is
> outside the Baku city limits, a half-hour walk from the nearest bus
> station.
>
> The location is a dismal spot for vibrant political assembly. Ismayilova
> said, "No one can hear you...You can’t even reach the place."
>
> Social media is being monitored as well, with several youth activists
> jailed for promoting the Arab Spring protests on Facebook and Twitter.
> Parvana Persiyani, a blogger with the 'OL!' Youth Movement in Azerbaijan,
> said organisers of protests against current government policies have been
> jailed without access to attorneys or notice to their families.
>
> Habbar Savalanli used Facebook to promote public protests surrounding the
> Arab Spring, and was given a jail sentence of two and a half years on bogus
> drug charges, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). He was released in
> December 2011.
>
> According to HRW, Azerbaijan has refused entry to a Council of Europe
> representative to look into the condition of political prisoners.
>
> Azerbaijan was ranked 143rd out of 183 countries surveyed in the 2011
> Corruption Perceptions Index<http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/>,
> compiled by Transparency International.
>
> *Eurovision 2012*
>
> The influx of oil revenues in Azerbaijan has left the country flush with
> possibility, plans for vast expansion and the modernisation of a city
> gearing up to host the Eurovision Song Contest<http://wwww.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=46087> this
> summer, which draws more than 100 million viewers. But such expansion has
> paved the way for human rights violations, with HRW reporting that the
> government of Azerbaijan has forced people from their homes in claims of
> "urban renewal."
>
> According to HRW, the government of Azerbaijan hasn’t provided fair
> compensation or alternative housing options to those displaced by the
> construction projects.
>
> Rasul Jafarov, coordinator of the Sing for Democracy campaign, said
> apartment buildings have rapidly been demolished, with or without the
> consent of those living there. Tenants who refused to cooperate faced
> forcible eviction after being detained for several hours, during which time
> their homes were destroyed.
>
> While Azerbaijan has committed to granting Eurovision participants freedom
> of speech, HRW noted that the country systematically denies its own
> citizens these same freedoms.
>
> But Ulrike Lunacek, a European Parliament member, said that simply
> boycotting the song contest was not enough – rather, efforts should focus
> on ensuring information on the state of the country is freely available.
>
> "People in Azerbaijan don’t have access to the truth," Ismayilova
> stressed. "And that is the core of the problems in the county."
>
> (END/2012)
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>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Guerra <rguerra at privaterra.org>
> To: governance <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>
> Sent: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 5:07 pm
> Subject: [governance] Rights issues in Azerbaijan / What will CS @ Baku do?
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> With all the focus on IGF MAG renewal and remote participation, let's
> not forget that the Governance Caucus should not lose track of the
> violations of human rights that are being reported in Azerbaijan.
>
> We need to make sure the UN and Azeri hosts make commitments that allow
> for respect & protection of Freedom of expression and association not only
> for participants of the IGF but also those in the country.
>
> As i've mentioned to many of you privately, we face a Tunis 2005 type
> scenario - that being, dealing with a well known and documented repressor
> of online activists and human rights. We can not be complicit in their
> repression nor be used as pawns in their PR campaign as to how great the
> country is.
>
> To not challenge the country to do better - before, during and after the
> IGF in Nov - is to not be faithful to the hard fought inclusion of Human
> Rights in the IGF 2005 summit documents.
>
> Look forward to everyone's comments.
>
> regards
>
> Robert
>
>
>
> --
> R. Guerra
> Phone/Cell: +1 202-905-2081
> Twitter: twitter.com/netfreedom
> Email: rguerra at privaterra.org
>
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