[governance] Human Rights Watch Calls on Azerbaijani Government to Release Jailed Activists as Country Hosts IGF

[Narine Khachatryan]

Human Rights Watch Calls on Azerbaijani Government to Release Jailed
Activists as Country Hosts Internet Governance Forum


   - November 2, 2012 (Berlin) – At least eight journalists and three human
   rights defenders are in jail, and freedom of expression is severely limited
   in Azerbaijan <http://www.hrw.org/europecentral-asia/azerbaijan>, the
   host of the upcoming United Nations-sponsored IGF, Human Rights Watch said
   in a briefing paper <http://www.hrw.org/node/111217>
   http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/2012_Azerbaijan_Media_Freedom.pdf



   pu

blished today. As  IGF  host,  and  as  a  sign  of  commitment  to  the  IG
F’’s  multi-stakeholder mandate and human development focus, the government
of Azerbaijan should use this opportunity to



·    Release journalists, human rights defenders, and social media activists
whose cases are described in this briefing paper;



·    Introduce legislative amendments to decriminalize libel and introduce a
reasonable monetary cap in civil defamation cases;

·     End  the  effective  blanket  ban  on  freedom  of  assembly  in  Baku
’’s  center  and  end  the  use  of

excessive police force to disperse unsanctioned protests.

The 10-page briefing paper describes Azerbaijan’s record of imprisoning
journalists, human rights defenders, and political opposition activists, in
most cases on bogus criminal charges, in apparent retaliation for their
investigative journalism or political activism.

As the formal convener of the Internet Governance Forum, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should remind the Azerbaijan government of
its human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch
called on governments attending the forum to raise freedom of expression
concerns directly with the Azerbaijani authorities.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/02/azerbaijan-shrinking-space-media-freedom

Narine Khachatryan
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