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Alert

Freedom of expression curtailed as parliamentary elections approach

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is an ARTICLE 19 statement:

AZERBAIJAN: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS CURTAILED AS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS APPROACH

ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, is gravely concerned about the increased threat to media freedom and continuous incidents of harassment of civil rights activists and journalists by law enforcement bodies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the run-up to 6 November Parliamentary elections and calls upon the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfil their human rights obligations under international law.

* On 7 October Baku authorities banned the opposition Azadlyg election bloc from holding election rallies at several venues in the city centre due to be held on 09 October. They offered other places, located far from the central area, instead.

* At opposition rallies held in Baku on 25 September and 1 October 2005, riot police are reported to have beaten and arrested hundreds of peaceful demonstrators.

* Four journalists covering the rally on 25 September - Mahabbat Orujeva, Rei Kerimoglu, Sakit Mamedov and Zohrab Zeynalov - who identified themselves clearly as media representatives were beaten by police.

* In separate events on 6 and 8 August, a building in central Baku housing several opposition media outlets, including the Azadlyg and Bizim Yol newspapers and the TURAN news agency, as well as the Confederation of Journalists and the Popular Front of Azerbaijan opposition group, was attacked by a group of individuals that included plain clothed policemen and members of the youth wing of the pro-government Yeni Azerbaijan party. According to Reporters without Borders, "they tried to break the building's windows, threw stones [. . .] and insulted and hit journalists" and "the journalists who work in the building were [. . .] warned of threats to set fire to the building".

* Six members of the opposition Azadlyg bloc went on hunger strike between 30 September and 4 October in protest at reprisals and violations of election campaign regulations by the Azerbaijani authorities.

* On 30 September the regional branch of the ANS Broadcasting and Media Company in the Shaki region was closed down on order of the Head of the Regional Executive Committee of the National TV and Radio Council who, according to ANS, claims the station has violated law by broadcasting 'wrong information'. The official reason provided by the Azerbaijani officials is that the broadcasting licence was awarded to ANS by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies instead of the TV and Radio Broadcasting Council (1). ANS, one of the broadcasters in Azerbaijan that provides critical comment and gives airtime to opposition candidates, had recently obtained licences to broadcast in regions outside Baku. Its declared aim was to provide special election and voter education programmes also in remote parts of the country. ARTICLE 19 believes the decision to close down the station might be politically motivated to prevent it from providing election coverage. The closure of a media outlet is a very drastic measure, in particular in a pre-election period. Such a measure can be justified only in the most exceptional circumstances and should be subject to the strictest scrutiny.

ARTICLE 19 regards these incidents as attacks against the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Azerbaijan and a threat to free and fair parliamentary elections, and calls upon the Azerbaijani authorities to take all necessary measures to avoid similar violence to the one witnessed during 2003 Presidential elections.

ARTICLE 19 calls upon the Azerbaijani Government to honour its international commitments and basic human rights guaranteed in the Azerbaijani Constitution and:

* Abstain from restricting the Constitutionally-guaranteed right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association;

* Ensure executive forces do not use any further violence against peaceful demonstrators or journalists;

* Public authorities and officials, including the National TV and Radio Council, refrain from interfering with the election coverage of media outlets during the remainder of the election period and after the elections;

* Promote a safe working environment for media in Azerbaijan;

* Satisfy the right of the citizens of Azerbaijan to receive information from a diversity of sources and reverse the decision to close down the ANS regional branch office in Shaki.

1. In 2003, State Commission on Radio Frequencies assigned the Radio Frequencies' Agency within the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies to award licences to the local offices of ANS, including the Shaki region.