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Turan news agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 20 2013
Russia: Experts debate human rights, democracy in South Caucasus
[translated from Russian]
A group of experts from Georgia and Azerbaijan have discussed the
current status of democracy and human rights in the South Caucasus at
a seminar held in Baku, the Turan news agency reported on 20 February.
The participants in the seminar called Human Rights, Democracy and
Conflicts in the South Caucasus noted the recent changes in the
region's political climate following the Georgian and Armenian
elections on 1 October 2012 and 18 February 2013, respectively.
The report said that despite the fact that many people in Azerbaijan
and Armenia view President Mikheil Saakashvili's Georgia as a beacon
of democracy in the region, Georgian human rights activist Nana
Kakabadze, who was present at the event, described her country as "a
prison". Kakabadze also noted a five-fold increase in the number of
prisoners during Saakashvili's rule and the expansion of the scales of
elite corruption.
Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa said that the fact that power transfer
took place through a transparent vote points to the existence of
democracy in Georgia.
"The degree of pluralism and access of public groups to media and the
internet is higher in Georgia. In Armenia, the information space is
less open but even this seems freer compared to the state control of
the press in Azerbaijan," the report said.
Feb 20 2013
Russia: Experts debate human rights, democracy in South Caucasus
[translated from Russian]
A group of experts from Georgia and Azerbaijan have discussed the
current status of democracy and human rights in the South Caucasus at
a seminar held in Baku, the Turan news agency reported on 20 February.
The participants in the seminar called Human Rights, Democracy and
Conflicts in the South Caucasus noted the recent changes in the
region's political climate following the Georgian and Armenian
elections on 1 October 2012 and 18 February 2013, respectively.
The report said that despite the fact that many people in Azerbaijan
and Armenia view President Mikheil Saakashvili's Georgia as a beacon
of democracy in the region, Georgian human rights activist Nana
Kakabadze, who was present at the event, described her country as "a
prison". Kakabadze also noted a five-fold increase in the number of
prisoners during Saakashvili's rule and the expansion of the scales of
elite corruption.
Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa said that the fact that power transfer
took place through a transparent vote points to the existence of
democracy in Georgia.
"The degree of pluralism and access of public groups to media and the
internet is higher in Georgia. In Armenia, the information space is
less open but even this seems freer compared to the state control of
the press in Azerbaijan," the report said.