Web pages about "Azerbaijan"

Three years after editor's murder, Azerbaijan journalists still abused

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:19:36 +0000

Azerbaijani journalist Elmar Hüseynov was murdered outside his home in the capital Baku, three years ago on Sunday. His case has become a symbol of the continuing human rights abuses faced by journalists in the country.

The outspoken editor-in-chief of Azeri opposition magazine Monitor, Hüseynov was shot seven times walking out of a lift on 2 March 2005. Thought to be the victim of a contract killing, Hüseynov’s death is the most serious case in a continuing series of assaults on opposition journalists.

His colleagues and international press freedom organizations ascribed his murder to the political content of the newspaper, which closed following his death.

In July 2006, a former Ministry of Internal Affairs official, charged with kidnapping and murder, admitted to Hüseynov’s murder while testifying at his own trial. He claimed that he carried out the killing on behalf of the former Minister of Economic Development, himself on trial for plotting the overthrow of the government. So far no one has been prosecuted for Hüseynov’s murder.

Marking the third anniversary of Hüseynov’s death, Amnesty International has called upon the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfil their international and domestic legal obligations to guarantee freedom of expression.

Azerbaijan continues to imprison journalists for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. Despite the release of five journalists in December 2007, others remain behind bars in cases which human rights activists in the country consider politically motivated.

One of those still in prison is opposition newspaper editor Eynulla Fətullayev who, after years of harassment by the authorities, was tried twice in 2007. He was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment on charges of defamation, terrorism, incitement of ethnic hatred and tax evasion.

Eynulla Fətullayev worked on Monitor until it was closed. He then launched two popular opposition newspapers, Realny Azerbaydzhan (Real Azerbaijan) and Gündəlik Azərbaycan (Azerbaijan Daily). Both newspapers closed in May 2007 after a series of inspections of their premises by the authorities.

A series of vicious physical assaults against journalists by unknown assailants in 2006 and 2007 remain unpunished with little or no investigation. This climate of impunity has seen one assault in a busy street in broad daylight, the attackers having no fear of prosecution.

The situation has not been helped by the mixed messages sent by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. He said in April 2005, “it is unacceptable for government officials to attack journalists”. However, he told a meeting of police academy graduates in July 2007 that he had “banned sanctions” against police who had used violence against journalists in disturbances in October 2005. He went on to say that he would “always support the police” in such cases.

The lack of police investigation into cases of violence and harassment against journalists means that there are few suspects or arrests and that many crimes have so far gone unpunished.

The editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper Bizim Yol (‘Our Way’) and Deputy Chairman of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan party, Bahəddin Həziyev, was abducted and beaten by unidentified men on 18 May 2006. The men were reported to have told him to stop writing “critical articles”.

The men then drove their car over his legs and left him on the shores of a lake outside Baku. Bizim Yol had alleged corruption in the oil and fishing industries and had named several high-ranking officials. Speaking to Amnesty International in July 2006, Baxaddin Xəziəv said that the police showed no interest in investigating the case and had recorded it as a case of minor injury rather than abduction and grievous bodily harm.

A journalist working for the Azadlıq newspaper, Nicat Hüseynov, was attacked by unknown men on 25 December 2006 as he left his home in Baku for work. He was thrown to the ground, beaten and attacked with a knife. Eyewitnesses called for help and the attackers fled in a waiting taxi.

He was later hospitalized with internal injuries, head injuries and a minor stab wound. Hüseynov had published articles on alleged corruption in high office and claimed to have received threatening phone calls before the attack. In January 2008, he was still suffering severe headaches and nosebleeds; no progress was reported in the investigation of his case.

A journalist for the Impuls newspaper, Süheylə Qəmbərova, was reported to have been beaten by court verdict executors on 28 September 2007 while researching an article on forced evictions. She was beaten alongside evicted residents who had asked to see the court orders approving the evictions. Her sister reported that Sühayle Qamberova was pushed to the floor and kicked in the head and body. She was later hospitalized.

“Unfortunately the Azerbaijani authorities continue to send mixed signals on freedom of expression”, said Laurence Broers, Amnesty International’s researcher on Azerbaijan. “On the one hand, the authorities condemn assaults on journalists while, on the other, law enforcement agencies and the judiciary are failing to prosecute assaults against them.

"Other government officials have abused Azerbaijan’s defamation laws to silence critical reporting. To demonstrate their commitment to human rights principles, the Azerbaijani authorities should release prisoners of conscience, decriminalize defamation, ensure the thorough, independent and impartial investigation of assaults on journalists and bring perpetrators to justice."

Amnesty International calls on Azerbaijan to bring perpetrators of attacks on journalists to justice

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:10:31 +0000

Ahead of the eve of the third anniversary of the death of a prominent Azerbaijani journalist Elmar Hüseynov, Amnesty International is reiterating its call to the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfil their international and domestic obligations to guarantee the right to freedom of expression. On 2 March 2005, Elmar Hüseynov, editor-in-chief of the outspoken weekly newspaper Monitor, was shot and killed outside his home in Baku. His colleagues and international press freedom organizations ascribed his murder to the political content of his newspaper.

Amnesty International has documented cases of journalists striving to expose the misuse of government power who are increasingly living under the threat of politically motivated arrests, physical assault and even death.

The organization has noted that predominantly journalists associated with the opposition are the victims of physical assault. As a rule, investigations into these physical assaults do not lead to convictions, thus contributing to a climate of impunity for such attacks.

In its latest document, Azerbaijan: Mixed messages on freedom of expression, Amnesty International calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure a climate in which critical and alternative viewpoints can be expressed without fear of repression.

See also:
Azerbaijan: Five journalists released (AI Index: EUR55/001/2008) 3 January 2008
Azerbaijan: Prisoner of conscience sentenced to a further eight and a half years’ imprisonment (AI Index: EUR 55/016/2007) 1 November 2007
Azerbaijan: Immediate release for prisoners of conscience (AI Index: EUR 55/015/2007) 11 October 2007
Politically sensitive reporting met with physical reprisals in Azerbaijani exclave (AI Index: EUR 55/014/2007) 3 October 2007
Azerbaijan: Critical voices again silenced by libel laws (AI Index: EUR 55/008/2007) 27 April 2007

Background material
Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International's Concerns in the Region: January – June 2007 (AI Index: EUR 01/001/2007) June 2007
Azerbaijan: The contracting space for freedom of expression (AI Index: EUR 55/003/2007) 24 January 2007

Azerbaijan: Immediate release for prisoners of conscience

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:31:52 +0000

Amnesty International is calling on the government of Azerbaijan to release immediately and unconditionally two prisoners of conscience, arrested for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression.

On 6 July 2007 an appeal court upheld the 4 May sentencing of journalist Rafiq Taği and editor Samir Sədəqətoğlu of the Sənət (Art) newspaper to three and four years’ imprisonment respectively for incitement of national, racial or religious hatred. A complaint against the upholding of the prison sentence is currently being prepared by their legal representation.

The charges against Rafiq Taği and Samir Sədəqətoğlu relate to an article published in the newspaper in November 2006 entitled ‘Europe and Us’. The article compares Islam and Christianity in terms strongly favouring the latter, and argues for Azerbaijan’s identity to be seen as closely linked to Europe in an ethical and philosophical sense, views on which Amnesty International takes no position. The case was quickly complicated by demonstrations in the village of Nardaran, known for strict religious observance, in which demonstrators reportedly made death threats against Rafiq Taği and Samir Sədəqətoğlu.

The protests spread to Iran, which has a substantial ethnic Azeri population, and culminated in the issuing of a fatwa by Grand Ayatohlah Fazel Lankarani calling for the murder of both the article’s author and its publisher.

The Azerbaijani authorities declared that death threats were ‘unacceptable’, and that the case would be resolved only within the framework of the law.

"This was the appropriate response from the Azerbaijani authorities. However, the authorities then violated their international legal obligations when they imprisoned Rafiq Taği and Samir Sədəqətoğlu solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression," said Laurence Broers, Amnesty International's researcher on Azerbaijan.

Amnesty International acknowledges that the material contained in the article ‘Europe and Us’ may be deeply offensive to both active Muslim believers and those who identify in a cultural sense with Islam. However, causing offence or controversy is not the same as advocacy of hatred and under international law freedom of expression must not be restricted merely on the grounds that it might shock or cause offence to others.

Amnesty International does not believe that in the context in which the article was published (a Muslim-majority state), the material contained therein amounted to advocacy of hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. The main argument of the article is an appeal for Azerbaijanis to perceive themselves in a particular way.

"The immediate and unconditional release of Rafiq Taği and Samir Sədəqətoğlu will signal that the Azerbaijani authorities are guided by human rights principles, and that they are ready to allow the widest possible scope for freedom of expression in the country, including the expression of sentiments that others may find controversial or offensive," Laurence Broers said.

"The next step after their release will be for the authorities to provide Rafiq Tagi and Samir Sədəqətoğlu with appropriate security measures to protect them from threatened reprisals."

At the same time Amnesty International calls upon those working in the Azerbaijani media to be responsible when writing on sensitive issues such as religion, culture and identity. The organization also calls upon religious and community leaders to use their authority to defuse tensions arising from controversial statements, and in particular to counter the unacceptable threat of violence.

Background
The right to freedom of expression is enshrined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Azerbaijan is a state party. According to international law the right to freedom of expression includes “the right to hold opinions without interference”, and “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of […] choice” (ICCPR, Article 19).

The right to freedom of expression is not absolute, and may be restricted in order to safeguard the rights of others, for instance to protection from advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. Under international standards such advocacy of hatred, or ‘hate speech’, should be prohibited.

Public Document
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For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

Press Freedom Day: Global action needed to protect journalists

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:12:31 +0000

"2006 was the worst year on record – a year of targeting, brutality and continued impunity in the killing of journalists." - Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Journalists are often "easy targets" in wars. While most civilians in a dangerous situation turn the other way and try to get to safety, journalists do the exact opposite. The job of a journalist is to report, which often means that -- as most people are fleeing danger -- journalists pass them on the road heading towards the fighting.

It’s easy to forget that journalists are nevertheless civilians. Foolhardy, even reckless at times, perhaps, but still civilians due the same protections under international law as any other civilians.

When journalists are deliberately shot, blown up, taken hostage, or imprisoned for simply doing their jobs, that's a crime. When these violations against journalists are committed in an armed conflict, they constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions – they are war crimes.

2006 was a year in which killings of reporters and media staff reached historic levels with at least 155 murders, assassinations and unexplained deaths, according to the IFJ. On 23 December, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution in which it condemned intentional attacks against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in situations of armed conflict and called upon all parties to put an end to such practices.

However, around the world, whether in war or in peace, too few states take their obligations seriously. In situations of open conflict, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, rather than offering protection from the serious dangers journalists face, the authorities restrict their ability to report freely.

Freedom of expression is enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A free press is an essential component of freedom of expression and is equally important as a key player in the protection of all human rights. All of society pays the price when journalists are killed with impunity and censorship and fear stifle expression. These are the conditions under which abuse of power and injustice will thrive.

Conflict situations
In Iraq, at least 64 journalists and media workers were reported killed in 2006, bringing the total to at least 139 since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. A few were killed by US troops and Iraqi forces while covering fighting between these troops and insurgents, but the majority were killed by armed groups opposed to the government and the presence of foreign troops, or militiamen men belonging to Shi'a religious groups.

On 22 February, Atwar Bahgat, a correspondent with the TV channel al-‘Arabiya, and her colleagues Khaled Mahmoud al-Falahi and ‘Adnan Khairallah, were kidnapped. Their bodies were found the next day near Samarra. On 26 March 2006, a freelance journalist, Kamal Manahi Anbar, was killed by Iraqi forces’ fire during a clash with insurgents. The shooting took place near a Shi'a mosque in Baghdad’s Ur district.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. military, were reported to have opened fire after several shots were fired from a building adjacent to the mosque. Civilians rushed for cover, among them Anbar, who was found shot several times in the face and neck.

On 12 October, masked gunmen killed 11 people and wounded two at the Baghdad office of the satellite TV channel Al-Shaâ’abiya in Zayouna district in East Baghdad.

In Afghanistan, the deteriorating security situation has made intimidation, harassment and violence an everyday reality for Afghan journalists and human rights defenders. Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi was abducted in March along with an Italian reporter, Daniele Mastrogiacomo, and their Afghan driver, Sayed Agha. While Daniele Mastrogiacomo was released in a prisoner exchange, Ajmal Naqshbandi and Sayed Agha were killed by their captors.

The government and newly established parliament have made attempts to limit reporting that would reflect badly on Afghan government and the legislature. For example, the National Security Directorate, the Afghan intelligence service, issued a decree on 18 June 2006, attempting to limit reporting about the declining security situation. The Afghan government and parliament have since late 2006 been discussing revising a media law that would seriously undermine freedom of speech and media in Afghanistan.

Impunity
It's not just in situations of open conflict where journalists are at risk. In Mexico, for example, at least 11 journalists have been murdered since the start of 2006 and a number of others have been abducted. Journalists reporting on corruption and the activities of organized criminal networks are particularly at risk.

The state has acknowledged the increasing attacks on journalists around the country and the failure of authorities to hold those responsible to account, but, despite the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor on Crimes against Journalists (Fiscalía Especial para la Atención de Delitos Cometidos contra Periodistas) in February 2006, there is total impunity for such crimes.

State repression
Journalists are often seen as an irritation – they publish stories that embarrass governments, they give coverage to the opposition and to campaigners, they expose human rights violations and other abuses of power. While individual journalists themselves might not be dissidents, the fact that they write about dissent and the issues that cause dissent makes them targets of governments who want to suppress that same dissent.

In Russia, where the murder of human rights journalist Anna Politkovskaya placed a spotlight on press freedom in that country, reporting on human rights violations and dissent is at best difficult and often be dangerous. Journalists who have covered the recent "Dissenter's marches" have been detained and several newspapers have received warnings for publishing information about opposition movements and giving voice to dissenting opinions. One human rights organization has been closed for publishing non-violent statements by representatives of Chechen separatist leaders.

Intelligence services in Nigeria have raided media outlets, stopping programmes, requisitioning tapes, intimidating, arresting or beating up journalists too critical of the government and the President. In the run-up of the elections of April, at least two journalists lost their lives in the widespread political violence. In the context of the mass protests of May Day 2007, organized to protest against the irregularities during the elections, local media have reported that a cameraman was beaten into a coma by the police, who also threatened other journalists with their guns. In another incident, 15 journalists were reported to have been rescued from an attempted lynching by a group of party supporters.

In Cuba, working for an unofficial news agency can also cause problems, as Pablo Pacheco found in March 2003. After a period of apparent movement towards a more open and permissive approach, the authorities carried out an unprecedented crackdown on the dissident movement on the island. Pacheco, who works for an agency called Avileña Co-operative of Independent Journalists (Co-operativa Avileña de Periodistas Independientes) was one of 75 people sentenced during this period. He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment and remains in prison. Pablo Pacheco is one of 13 imprisoned Cuban journalists who are recognized as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.

Media workers in Zimbabwe live in constant fear of arrest, torture and death for reporting the on going human rights crisis in Zimbabwe. Gift Phiri, a journalist who was arrested in Harare on 1 April 2007 and detained for four days, was severely beaten while in police custody. Another journalist, Edward Chikomba was abducted from his home on 31 March 2007 and killed. His body was found two days later with bruises suggesting that he had been severely assaulted by his abductors.

Media workers who have been critical of government policies have been targeted in the past through repressive laws such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, enacted in 2002, which was used by the government to shut down privately owned newspapers and deny journalists registration to practise.

Journalists are often unjustly accused of ordinary crimes in order to persecute them for their work. Sakit Zahidov, a well-known opposition journalist in Azerbaijan, was imprisoned on charges of possessing illegal drugs – charges Amnesty International calls "questionable". Noting that he didn't receive a fair trial, the organization fears that he may have been imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.

For journalists in some countries mere contact with the outside world can have serious repercussions. Iranian journalist Ali Farahbakhsh was arrested on 27 November 2006 after returning from an NGO-sponsored conference in Bangkok on government and the media. A Revolutionary Court in Tehran is reported to have sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of about US$71,000 on 26 March 2007 on charges of espionage and "receiving money from foreigners" in connection with his participation at the conference.

In possibly the most well known case worldwide, Chinese journalist Shi Tao was arrested in 2004 for sending an email to a foreign website and charged with "illegally divulging state secrets abroad". The email described a briefing that he and other journalists had received from the Chinese Communist Party's Propaganda Department on how they should report anniversary commemorations of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in 2005 following an unfair trial. Amnesty International has adopted Shi Tao as a prisoner of conscience.

In recent months, the Chinese authorities have sought to further tighten controls over the internet. This has been followed by further censoring of certain websites, blogs and online articles. For example, a website providing news broadcasts over the internet, www.ccztv.com, was closed down in March.

Journalists caught up in conflict and lawlessness
Sometimes journalists are targeted just because of who they are and not because of what they say or write. Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist abducted by Palestinian gunmen on 12 March 2007, has become a symbol of the dangers journalists face in conflict areas. Though he is well liked and respected in Gaza, Alan was seemingly abducted just because he was a high profile foreigner. Since his abduction, foreign journalists are no longer going to Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there has dropped off the world news agenda.

The Security Council resolution shows that there is growing global recognition of a serious problem in the way journalists are treated around the world. What is needed now is global action to protect journalists and protect the freedom of the press.