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Europe Should Choose Between Azerbaijani Energy Vectors and Democrac

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  • Europe Should Choose Between Azerbaijani Energy Vectors and Democrac

    EUROPE SHOULD CHOOSE BETWEEN AZERBAIJANI ENERGY VECTORS AND DEMOCRACY

    Friday, 29 August 2014 16:17

    http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1557:-europe-should-choose-between-azerbaijani-energy-vectors-and-democracy&catid=5:politics&Itemid=17


    When watching the video on the trilateral meeting in Sochi, which was
    spread via information sources, at first glance it seems that the
    Azerbaijani President felt himself secure there. It is no longer a
    secret for anyone that Ilham Aliyev is only concerned about the
    extension of his power. It isn't either a secret that he relies on the
    support of Russia, as the West talks to him mainly about democracy.

    This issue isn't primary for Russia - Putin's goal is to see
    Azerbaijan in the Eurasian Union area and to contribute to the
    Karabakh settlement on the Russian scenario.

    In this regard, the direction of a number of statements
    issued in Europe against the Aliyev clan after the Sochi meeting was
    quite predictable. In particular, the phone call of the Council of
    Europe's Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland with Ilham Aliyev was
    nothing more than a reminder of respect for democracy and fundamental
    human rights.

    The Azerbaijani authorities' harassment and persecution of
    intellectuals struggling for the elimination of the totalitarian
    system and establishment of democratic principles in the country
    cannot escape the attention of the international community. False and
    unsubstantiated accusations are brought against these intellectuals
    just because they dare to communicate with Armenian public figures,
    supporting the natural right of a human being to live freely.

    On the occasion of the arrest of prominent Azerbaijani
    human rights activists Leyla and Arif Yunus, the West has repeatedly
    sent signals to the Aliyev regime, calling upon the latter to put an
    end to the violence against these people. According toTuran
    Azerbaijani News Agency, the country's Prosecutor General prohibited
    another human right activist, Rasul Jafarov, to leave the country. On
    the evening of July 28, he was travelling to Tbilisi by train; the
    next day, the Azerbaijani border guards stopped him at the
    Azeri-Georgian border, prohibiting him to leave the country. And
    before that, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office blocked the
    human rights activist's bank cards. Jafarov stated that he would try
    to solve the issue of putting pressure on him at the court, institute
    proceedings against the country's General Prosecutor's Office. He also
    supposes that the authorities use the sanctions to respond to his
    Strasbourg speeches. About a month ago, at the PACE session in
    Strasbourg, the human rights activist presented a report on the human
    rights violations in Azerbaijan.

    Remarkable is Azerbaijani Turan Information Agency's
    published information about the recent study by the Institute of Peace
    and Democracy. As of May, the number of victims of political
    repression in Azerbaijan amounted to 130, conscience prisoners - 41,
    and political prisoners - 89. When making the list, the organization
    was guided by the standards set by the Amnesty International human
    rights structure.

    On August 12, two days after the trilateral meeting in
    Sochi, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland
    called the Azerbaijani President. According to information sources,
    after the phone call he issued a statement, in which he expressed deep
    concern over the recent arrest of prominent human rights activists in
    Azerbaijan. Mr. Jagland, in particular, recalled the Working Group
    created in 2003 and consisting of representatives of the Presidential
    Administration and the civil society, and noted that it had operated
    by 2008. The CE Secretary General sent a signal to Aliyev, making him
    understand that the Group's activities would soon be restored with the
    participation of the CE representatives, which will allow to check the
    Azerbaijani authorities' charges against the human rights activists.
    It will also allow establishing a dialogue between the authorities and
    the civil society.

    Ilham Aliyev must do corresponding conclusions not only
    from the above mentioned statement - the European human rights
    activists placed an article disclosing Aliyev's policy at the Open
    Democracy website. The Europeans record that prominent human rights
    activists in Azerbaijan are subjected to harassment, but due to the
    'caviar diplomacy', the authorities go unpunished. It is emphasized
    that President Aliyev, arresting the human rights activists, is
    radically destroying his country's civil society. The articles
    mentioned the names of the arrested human rights activists: Leyla and
    Arif Yunus, Hasan Huseynli, Rasul Jafarov, and Intigam Aliyev. A few
    days after the publication of the article, the Azerbaijani sources
    reported about the arrest of young activist Murad Adilov.

    Azerbaijan pursues 21 public organizations - the Aliyev
    regime accuses them of tax evasion and other economic crimes.

    It is necessary to pay attention to the August 15
    statement of the OSCE USA Mission, which called on Azerbaijan to stop
    the arrests of peaceful activists. The latter was connected with the
    settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Mission Leader Harry Robins
    notified from Vienna the Azerbaijani authorities that it was necessary
    to put an end to political persecution and to freezing bank accounts
    of individuals and organizations - people are struggling for their
    fundamental rights.

    Such an emphasis isn't, surely, accidental - the
    structure, which assumed the mission of peace settlement of the
    Karabakh conflict, is well aware that the Azerbaijani authorities are
    targeting the intellectuals who have a good idea of the content of the
    Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and propose to establish dialogue
    between the parties. Just for this reason they are persecuted by their
    own authorities.Let's recall also that an educational component is
    available, as a rule, in the statements and appeals by the West, in
    particular, European institutions, addressed to Azerbaijan.Thus, the
    statement of the USA mission at the OSCE reads that any country
    striving for stability and prosperity should respect the freedoms
    stated by the human rights activists.

    In the meantime, Ilham Aliyev continues to ignore these
    warnings and calls, while Azerbaijan is chairing the Council of
    Europe's Committee of Ministers. Maybe it treats so, considering the
    European response to every Russian initiative in the process of the
    Karabakh conflict peaceful settlement.

    Only one conclusion can be made from this - Europe should
    finally choose between the Azerbaijani energy vectors and democracy.
    The international community should apply appropriate sanctions against
    Azerbaijan, first of all, depriving it of the right to exercise the
    presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
    Generally, this country has nothing to do with the Council of Europe
    and other international structures, which are designed to protect
    human rights and to develop democratic institutions and civil society.



    Ruzan ISHKHANIAN

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