Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Baku, Two Years Later: Same Dictator, No Democracy in Sight

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Baku, Two Years Later: Same Dictator, No Democracy in Sight

    BAKU, TWO YEARS LATER: SAME DICTATOR, NO DEMOCRACY IN SIGHT
    By Elmar Chakhtakhtinski

    http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3628&Ite mid=48
    May 31, 2012

    An Open Letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

    Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD)

    Dear Secretary Clinton,

    On June 6th you will be visiting Baku and meeting with the leader of
    Azerbaijan's ruling regime, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. It is understandable that
    sometimes the US need to work with even the most corrupt dictatorships
    on the pressing matters of national interest. However, I respectfully
    suggest that a visit by the top US diplomat should have been preceded
    at least by some positive steps from the Azerbaijani leadership on
    democracy and human rights, such as the release of all political
    prisoners, for example.

    In the past, Mr. Aliyev and his government have given you, other
    world leaders and the Azerbaijani people many promises. But each
    time, emboldened by the respect and acceptance they received at the
    international stage, they ignored their obligations and continued on
    the path towards totalitarianism and corruption.

    During your last trip to Baku in July 2010, you stressed the importance
    of democratic development and respect for human rights.

    Within the two years since your last meeting with Mr. Aliyev, his
    regime did nothing to improve its record on these issues. Below are
    some of the developments that happened in Azerbaijan during that time:

    - The parliamentary elections held within few months after your trip
    in 2010 were marred by wholesale fraud, as was every other election
    under the Aliyev regime. A new parliament was formed without a single
    representative from the political opposition. Currently, there is
    not a single branch of government in Azerbaijan at any level that
    can claim to be formed by free expression of people's will.

    - Media reports emerged with documented evidence that links the ruling
    Aliyev family to large-scale corruption involving secretive ownership
    through offshore companies of the country's largest banks, phone
    operators, industrial complexes, gold mines and other enterprises.

    Neither Mr. Aliyev nor any of his officials have ever refuted these
    allegations or explained where all this wealth comes from. This might
    have been sufficient for the indictment and prosecution of Mr. Aliyev
    in any civilized country which, unlike Azerbaijan, is governed by laws.

    - A US Congress sponsored Radio Liberty reporter Khadija Ismayilova,
    whose investigative work revealed many of the corruption facts about
    the ruling family, was attacked with sexual blackmail and personal
    threats coupled with an aggressive dirty PR campaign against her in
    the pro-government press.

    - Journalist Rafig Tagi, who had been critical of both the religious
    extremism and the Azerbaijani leadership, was murdered. The authorities
    were quick to point fingers to Iran and its agents, but no one has
    been charged with the crime yet. This eerily reminded a 2005 murder of
    journalist Elmar Huseynov, the most vocal regime critic at the time,
    whose killers have also evaded justice.

    - The number of political prisoners has increased. The two bloggers,
    personally mentioned by you and President Obama to Mr. Aliyev in
    2010, had been released but many others were thrown behind the
    bars. From an opposition leader Arif Hajili, one of the people who
    signed Azerbaijan's Declaration of Independence from Soviet Empire, to
    young Harvard graduate and parliamentary candidate Bakhtiyar Hajiyev,
    to local human rights defender in Goychay province Vidadi Iskenderov -
    there is a long list of people jailed for speaking out their minds,
    professing their beliefs and demanding their rights.

    - The regime continued to ban protest rallies in the central parts
    of Baku and other cities, with police and government organized thugs
    brutally attacking peaceful demonstrators.

    I could also cite the inhumane demolitions of private homes, non-stop
    persecution of political dissidents and independent media on all
    fronts, pervasive corruption at all levels, and many other daily
    violations of basic rights and freedoms of Azerbaijani citizens. All
    these facts are well documented by major international organizations
    and the US State Department's own Annual Human Rights Reports.

    One thing stands clear from this record: the ruling Azerbaijani regime
    has convincingly demonstrated by its past and present actions that
    it has no intentions of ever loosening its repressive policies and
    conducting the long promised reforms. The twenty years of Aliyev
    dynasty in Azerbaijan had been plenty enough for holding at least
    one free and fair election, for allowing at least one independent
    TV and radio broadcast station, for not having the ruling family
    own the nation's biggest companies, for not having journalists and
    dissidents murdered, blackmailed, beaten and jailed. These are not
    the elements of a mature democracy which might take decades to build:
    they are the very minimal steps necessary for any progress towards
    open and accountable governance.

    Dear Madam Secretary,

    The Aliyev regime often uses Azerbaijan's energy resources and
    geo-strategic location as leverage, hoping that in return for energy
    and security cooperation the United States and other world powers
    will accept its legitimacy. But the recent history, including the
    events of Arab Spring, revealed the potential dangers of bloodshed
    and upheaval awaiting such unelected, oppressive governments, with
    all the ensuing uncertainty it brings for the United States and its
    allies in the region.

    I urge you to use this opportunity to make it clear that America
    stands behind its principles and that democracy will not be
    perpetually sidelined by other considerations. By publicly demanding
    free elections, release of all political prisoners, and respect for
    basic rights and freedoms, the United States leadership would show
    that it considers the people of Azerbaijan, not just its government,
    as friends and allies and this friendship is based on shared vision
    of liberty, justice and peaceful development, not only on temporal
    energy and security interests.

    Sincerely yours,

    Elmar Chakhtakhtinski, Chairman Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy
    (AZAD)

Working...
X