Society 19:26 19/02/2015

Arrested Azerbaijani activists are in spotlight of international press

An Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus held without trial since July had her detention extended for five months by a court in Baku. She has been detained on charges of treason, espionage and tax evasion, told the Reuters her lawyer Elchin Gambarov.

As the RFE/RL stated Yunus' health is reported to have severely declined in detention. Her lawyers say she has been subjected to beatings and denied medical care for advanced liver disease.

The topic of extending the pre-trial detention of human rights defender was also touched upon by the edition of “Jurist” and “AllmediaNY”, and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders which is a joint program of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) called on the Azerbaijani authorities to provide her medical care and immediately release her.

Meanwhile “The Washington Post” published a letter written by the arrested Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova, which she had sent from the jail through mediators.

In her letter she had noted that the last letter she was sent to punishment cell, and all her notes were taken away by the warders and were not returned. “I guess there are many devoted readers of mine at the penitentiary. That is why it is taking them such a long time to return what they have taken from me.”

She also reports that she is allowed to make two phone calls each week that she uses to speak with her mother, but, contrary to the law, denies her and the lawyer regular visits. In addition she has access to very little information.

“Corruption is the reason I am in my prison, but the regime’s corruption, not mine. The only way to prove oppressive regimes wrong is to continue exposing corruption, and I have promised more investigations for 2015. Yes, there is a price to pay, but it is worth it!” the journalist writes.

She also writes that in a country in a country where unpunished crimes are at a record high and deeply rooted in all levels of government, there is a simple logic that prompts people to commit crimes. “If it is good, why can’t I do it?; if it is bad, why are they doing it?” This is the mentality bred by a morally bankrupt regime that has turned my country’s justice system into a corrupt machine.

“This a country where money and power can cover up any crime, and where truth and deception have traded places. As a result, there are some 100 political prisoners behind bars in Azerbaijan,” Ismayilova stresses.

IWPR has prepared a material on the Azerbaijani political prisoners. The 2015 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders ranks Azerbaijan alongside the likes of Rwanda (161), Saudi Arabia (164), Uzbekistan (166), Turkmenistan (178), Cuba (169), North Korea (179) and the worst violator of press freedom, Eritrea (180), it reads. Azerbaijan’s regional neighbours Armenia and Georgia performed much better, and were ranked 78th and 69th, respectively.

The article touches also the issue of Seymur Hezi saying that on January 29, a court sentenced Seymur Hezi, a journalist and opposition member, to five years in prisonHis lawyer Adil Ismailov, supported by witnesses who testified in court, argued that Hezi had done nothing wrong. His legal team said he was attacked by a man and hit back in self-defence with a water bottle.
“My grandfathers were purged in 1937. Now we are being purged by a system created by KGB general Heydar Aliyev [late president, succeeded by his son Ilham Aliyev],” he said. “Ours is not a struggle between government and opposition, it is a struggle between good and evil,” Hezi stated.

The article also notes that it emerged this month that Emin Huseynov, a rights defender and director of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) in Baku, has been hiding out at the Swiss embassy in Azerbaijan since August. Huseynov took refuge in the embassy after the Azerbaijani authorities froze IRFS’s bank accounts, searched its offices, and seized equipment and documents.

Global Network Initiative made a statement in this connection. “The Azerbaijani government is persecuting Emin Huseynov for the same reasons that international human rights organizations work with him: his tireless efforts to protect journalists and defend online freedoms. They should immediately drop the charges against him and other imprisoned reporters and activists,” said GNI Board Chair Mark Stephens.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:03
Raúl among potential candidates for Armenia manager
Raúl is being considered among the potential candidates for the new head coach of Armenia’s national football team, Armen...
16:46
Putin reiterates Russia's commitment to normalizing Armenian-Azeri relations
Moscow is doing all it can to help relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia to normalize and sees these countries as its natural strategic...
16:30
Colder weather ahead in Armenia
Clear weather is expected in Armenia’s regions on Tuesday and in the next few days. Strong winds of up to 25 m/s are forecast for some...
16:12
Nearly 58% of survey respondents dissatisfied with Pashinyan's performance
According to a Gallup International Association survey, nearly 58% of respondents are dissatisfied with Armenian Prime Minister...
15:31
Global prayer for Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan on the eve of COP29
On the initiative of His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, an ecumenical (global) prayer for peace and justice in Armenia and the...
15:15
Putin receives credentials from new Armenian ambassador
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday received letters of credence from 28 newly arrived foreign ambassadors, including Armenian...
14:43
Azerbaijan has no plans to leave Armenian territories, MP claims
MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem faction has called attention to the discussion on the sequence of border sections for...
14:05
Georgian travel agency deletes post on Armenia's Lori, unavailable on president's page
Georgian travel agency Adjara Voyage has deleted its social media post describing Armenia's Lori Province as “historical...
13:35
EU officials visited Armenia for visa liberalization talks, deputy FM says
EU officials have travelled to Armenia for visa liberalization talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said on Tuesday....
13:15
Greta Thunberg boycotts COP29 in Baku
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has announced her decision to boycott the upcoming COP29 climate summit, set to take place in Baku,...
12:59
UN court to deliver judgment on Armenia v. Azerbaijan case on November 12
On Tuesday 12 November, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its...
12:33
Opposition MP asks to postpone independence declaration debates
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Gegham Manukyan on Tuesday asked a parliamentary committee to postpone debates on a statement defending...
12:03
Senator Markey: COP29 should be used to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes
U.S. Senator Ed Markey insists that COP29 should be used to hold the Azerbaijani government accountable for its war crimes....
11:34
Armenia appoints new justice minister
Srbuhi Galyan has been appointed Armenia’s new justice minister. President President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a relevant decree...
11:15
Iranian leader to attend COP29 in Baku
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan reported....
11:02
Armenian ambassador says he received death threats from Azeri counterpart in Brussels
The Armenian Embassy has lodged a formal protest with other diplomatic missions in Brussels after its ambassador claimed to have been on the...
17:02
Footballer killed by lightning strike at match in Peru
A football player in Peru has died and more have suffered injuries after being struck by lightning during a match on Sunday afternoon, the Daily...
16:46
On the trail of a post about Lori shared by Georgian president
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili shared on Facebook a post by a Georgian travel agency offering tours to Armenia’s Lori Province on...
16:05
Parliament speaker names ruling party's candidate for Gyumri mayor
Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party has picked Karen Sarukhanyan, a former governor of Shirak Province, as its candidate for the next...
15:42
Pashinyan criticized for failure to congratulate Moldova's president on re-election
Artur Sakunts, a human rights activist who heads the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Vanadzor, on Monday criticized Prime Minister Nikol...
15:07
Car crash in Armenia leaves one dead, three wounded
A tragic car crash in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province on Monday left one person killed and three others injured. The Rescue Service...
14:36
Yerevan mayor says his 'good looks' could make him a target for corruption rumors
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan denied allegations of corrupt practices involving him as defamation.  “I guess my good looks...
14:14
Putin to accept credentials from new Armenian envoy on Tuesday
Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the letters of credence from 28 newly arrived foreign ambassadors, including Armenian...
13:45
Legendary music producer Quincy Jones dies at 91
Quincy Jones, a titan of American entertainment who worked with stars from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and Will Smith, has died aged...
13:30
Rain expected in some parts of Armenia on Monday
Rain is forecast for some parts of Armenia on Monday, with snow set to hit the country’s mountainous areas. Clear weather is expected...
13:04
At least 10 killed after volcano erupts in Indonesia
At least 10 people have been killed after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia in the early hours of Monday, BBC News reports, citing local...
12:46
ICRC visits Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan
Employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan in October this year....
12:26
Spanish king pelted with eggs in flood-hit Valencia
Angry residents booed and threw eggs at Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia as they visited the Valencia region, where more than 200...
12:10
Political analyst: Azerbaijan sitting on the twine
Political analyst Stepan Danielyan has weighed in on the latest developments regarding the Ukraine conflict. In a social media post on...
11:35
Tatoyan Foundation working to expose Azerbaijan's lies about Artsakh
Specialists of the Tatoyan Foundation are doing extensive work to expose the false Azerbaijani narratives about Armenia and Artsakh...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}