By MALIN EKERSTEDT
Kvinna till Kvinna
While international attention has been focused on other crisis around the world, the regime in Azerbaijan has intensified its persecution of civil rights organisations. ”Human rights defenders are being seriously constrained in their work,” says Lina Andéer, Coordinator for South Caucasus at The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.
The number of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan who are being arrested and sentenced to several years in prison is rapidly increasing. Often the charges, that human rights organisations mean are trumped-up, relate to fraud, tax crimes, narcotics and/or treason.
Among the arrested this summer were prominent activists Leyla and Arif Yunus, journalist Rasul Jafarov and human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev. Others, while not yet detained, have been threatened or assaulted.
”The last few years, Azerbaijan has adopted increasingly harsh laws concerning non-governmental organisations (NGOs), so it has generally become more difficult for them to be active. And those who receive international funding, have to register their projects with the authorities before they are allowed to use this money,” says Lina Andéer.
Official protests
Apart from human rights organisations trying to draw attention to the Azerbaijan government’s actions, UN human rights experts have already on three occassions this year released statements condemning the deteriorating situation. The EU delegation to the Council of Europe, which Azerbaijan currently is chairing, as well as the Council’s own Commissioner of human rights, has also stated its deep concerns.
And last week the European Parliament adopted a resolution with a call on the Azerbaijani authorities to ”cease their harassment and intimidation of civil society organisations, opposition politicians and independent journalists and to refrain from interfering in or undermining their valuable work for the development of democracy in Azerbaijan”. Moreover, the resolution underlined that EU’s support to and cooperation with Azerbaijan must be conditional on the protection and promotion of human rights”.
However, there has yet been no signs of Azerbaijan authorities retreating from the road chosen.
Continue despite worry
How does this situation affect Kvinna till Kvinna’s partner organisations in Azerbaijan?
”Of course it affects them greatly. The governmental restrictions on freedom of association and freedom of speech have always been there, but now the organisations are more worried than ever. They have seen activists that they know well being arrested, so the danger has become very real. But they are all steadfast in continuing their work.”
How can Kvinna till Kvinna, as well as other human rights activists, be of help?
”As a women’s rights organisation Kvinna till Kvinna looks upon this grave situation with great worry. Besides from our ongoing long-term support to our partner organisations, we try to be a link for them to reach out internationally. For example, we have organised workshops on how to monitor the work of the government on women, peace and security issues, where they have been able to connect with organisations from other countries. It’s important that the situation in Azerbaijan is being highlighted internationally, to put strong pressure on the government to abide by the international human rights documents that it has signed – and currently is violating,” says Lina Andéer.