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On Thursday, September 15 the United States Congress bi-partisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing titled “Azerbaijan: Do Human Rights Matter?” The topic of the hearing was the current human rights situation in Azerbaijan, and the consequences for United States policy.

Panorama.am interviewed Armen Sahakyan – Board member of the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region.

Please, tell us about the hearing on Azerbaijan and the main points of the speakers.

Witnesses included Khadija Ismayilova (investigative journalist and former political prisoner); Turkel Kerimli (son of opposition leader Ali Karimli and former political prisoner); and Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich (former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan).

All three speakers lambasted Azerbaijani government’s egregious human rights violation track record. Ambassador Kauzlarich particularly noted that the situation has worsened after the 4-day war fought between Artsakh and Azerbaijan in April. This includes more pressure against the civil society organizations and independent media outlets, crackdown of Gulen-affiliated institutions, and rush to pass new Constitutional amendments that would further restrict the rights and freedoms of Azerbaijani citizens. According to him, Azerbaijan’s worsening economic woes are not only an internal problem, but also heighten the risk of a repeated Azerbaijani offensive against Armenia and Artsakh similar to April 2016.

Speakers called for a swift change in the U.S. policy towards Azerbaijan. This would entail a transition from a quiet, behind-the-doors diplomacy to an aggressive public diplomacy campaign that would include a freeze of assets and a visa ban against the regime, a recall of the American Ambassador in Baku as well as exposition of government corruption and misuse of power for greater openness and transparency.

Speakers also highlighted that it will be impossible to build durable and positive relations between the two states if Azerbaijan does not share the same values and norms as the United States and the West.

As an example, Khadija Ismailova talked about the widely prevalent practice of torture of the prisoners with no adequate domestic protection mechanism in place.  She called upon the Council of Europe to reestablish the earlier-existing mechanism aimed at protecting the rights of prisoners in Azerbaijan because of the ineffectiveness of the Ombudsman’s office.

Representative Jim McGovern, who presided over the meeting, noted that even without the passage of the Global Magnitsky Act (H.R.624) as well as the Azerbaijan Democracy Act (H.R.4264)  – both of which he is a co-sponsor of – the U.S. Administration already has the authority to instate sanctions and other punishing mechanisms against Baku.

However, the Azerbaijani media were silent on the hearing and invented quite a strange conspiracy theory in order to distract the public. According to it, you are NKR president Bako Sahakyan’s son.

Instead of focusing on the internal human rights crisis and fast-growing democracy deficit in the country, the Azerbaijani state-controlled media focused on the Armenian-American participants who were present at the hearing. In doing so they tried to deflect the attention from the main issue at hand to some made-up conspiracy. The creativity (or lack thereof) of some editors went as far as to portray me as the son of Artsakh Republic’s President Bako Sahakyan. Although part of my lineage does trace back its roots to Artsakh, I have no direct connection to President Sahakyan.

While the rationale and motivations behind this cheap media stunt are understandable, it is regrettable to see that the Azerbaijani side has once again chosen the option of personal attacks, fear-mongering, and Armenophobia instead of debating ideas around a table. The media tactics employed by Baku resemble ones of Pyongyang, which rely upon the denial of information access to its citizens, fear of expression of opinions, and manufacturing blatant lies under the cover of absolute truths. The Armenian side is always prepared to debate all issues at hand and stand up for the inalienable rights of Artsakh’s citizens to self-determination and independence.

Peace building is a difficult and tenuous process and one sure way of not getting closer to it is the continuous devolution of Azerbaijan into a dictatorial, totalitarian regime where there is no space for the freedom of speech, expression, and assembly. Where instead of encouraging dialogue and openness, the government incites hatred and intolerance. We certainly hope that this will change with the help of Western pressure and sanctions against the reckless Aliyev regime.

Nevertheless, during the recent meeting with the members of the European Parliament, the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev attempted to convince them of the healthy situation in the sphere of human rights and freedom of speech in Azerbaijan.

As is widely documented, the Azerbaijani government, led by President Ilham Aliyev, has intensified a crackdown on dissent, rounding up journalists, political opposition, religious activists, and members of civil society especially since 2014.  U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and several U.S.-based non-governmental organizations have been expelled from the country, and RFE/RL reporter Khadija Ismayilova was imprisoned on trumped-up charges for a year and a half before being released following an international outcry.  Precise numbers are difficult to confirm, but credible reports indicate that more than 100 of those detained remain in prison.

Restrictive laws in Azerbaijan effectively prohibit the operation of non-governmental organizations and independent media. The Aliyev government is mired in allegations of corruption, and is facing a weakening economy and declining currency.  Past elections have suffered from irregularities with vote counting, and failure to record ballots, combined with limitations on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association.

In July 2016, the government proposed amendments to the constitution that would consolidate President Aliyev’s power, including by extending the presidential term from 5 to 7 years and giving him the power to dissolve parliament and call for early elections.

President Aliyev is already serving his third term in office. The amendments would also subject fundamental rights to vaguely worded restrictions, circumscribing freedom of expression when it provokes “hostility,” and freedom of assembly when it “disrupt[s]…public morale.” Voters will consider the amendments in a rushed referendum to be held September 26, 2016, the conduct of which is unlikely to inspire confidence. In recent days there are reliable reports that opponents of the changes are being detained.

The Human Rights Commission was established with the unanimous consent of the United States House of Representatives in 2008, which is charged with promoting, defending and advocating for international human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments. The Commission undertakes public education activities, provides expert human rights advice and encourages members of Congress to actively engage in human rights matters.  In carrying out its mandate, the Commission collaborates with congressional staff, the U.S. Senate and the executive branch, and continually engages with national and international civil society organizations. The Commission is co-chaired by Rep. James P. McGovern (MA-02) is the Democratic Co-Chair, and Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (PA-16) who are appointed by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader.