STATEMENT BY PUBLIC CHAMBER on new wave of repressions by the Azerbaijani government

STATEMENT BY PUBLIC CHAMBER

on new wave of repressions by the Azerbaijani government

Baku,  2011 May 20

Drawing attention to increasing repressions, long lasting  patterns of  violent behavior, going beyond the law and moral principles, by the illegitimate government formed in the result of election fraud, Public Chamber expresses its   strongest protest to the government for deepened confrontation atmosphere in the country.  Public Chamber unequivocally acknowledges the treatment of the government towards pro-democracy groups choosing non-violent and constitutional way of struggle as repression  after the demonstrations held on April 2 and 17. 

Public Chamber reminds that each time more than 250 demonstrators were detained by police during two demonstrations held in Baku with the demand of sweeping reforms. Detained persons were treated in an inadeqaute way contradicting with the law, peaceful demonstrator were beaten and insulted by police. (see the videos showing police violence - http://www.azadliq.org/video/17265.html).

31 and 9 supporters of the Public Chamber were punished with administrative penalty for the April 2 and April 17 demontsrations respectively. 

Though preliminarly  the criminal case was opened against the head of the Central Executive Apparatus of Musavat Party Arif Hajili, deputy head of Azerbaijan Popuplar Front Party Fuad Gahramanli, chairman of the Youth Wing of Musavat Party Tural Abbasli and head of the department of Popular Front Party Mahmmad Majidli, currently the number of people being subjected to criminal cases  is 16.  15 of them are sentenced to pre-detention jail. The fact on arrest of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party activist Elnur Majidli on May 13 confirms that repressions in this direction are still being continued. This assumption is also strengthened by the following facts: a member of Youth Organization of Musavat Party Ahliman Abbasov, reporter of the newspaper “Democrat” Tural Hajibeyli and young activist Aykhan Hajibeyli were taken to the police station on May 14, chairmen and other activists of  Classical Popular Front, Azerbaijan Popular Front and Musavat Party were taken to the police station with the purpose to prevent for establishment  Sumgayit branch of the Public Chamber in the result of which the meeting failed and Sumgayit office of Musavat Party was sealed up. Public Chamber demands the immediate release of the persons detained for their participation in the demonstrations and being subjected to the criminal cases opened against them.

Public Chamber fiercely condemns violent treatment of plainclothes and police towards activists detained during demonstrations.  

Despite of the fact that 7 women detained during April 2 demonstration were taken to the police stations and released only at 11 pm after strong effrots of the organizations defending human rights, Gozel Bayramli, deputy head of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, detained during April 17 demonstration was sentenced to 5 days administrative jail.  Several women were released after administrative penalty and notice by the court

Public Chamber demands the punishment of the persons responsible for this injustice.

Public Chamber also brings to the attention the fact that the head of Supreme Assembly of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Hasan Karimov, faced inhuman treatment of police for his participation in April 2 demonstration was subjected to difficult surgery. Members of the Public Chamber-deputy head of Musavat Party Tofig Yagublu, journalists-Mustafa Hajibeyli and Khalig Bahadir, chairman of the Youth Organization of Musavat Party Tural Abbasli and his deputy Ahad Mammadli, chairman of the Youth Wing of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Abulfaz Gurbanli, head of the Sumgayit office of Musavat Party Fakhraddin Abbas, Azerbaijan Classical Popular Front Party’s activist Elman Turkoghlu, activists Tazakhan Miralamli. Sahib Rustamli, Raud Mammadov, Ramin Bakhishov, outstanding attorney Namizad Safarov and human rights defender Vidadi Isgandarli were tortured in the police stations. The detained persons were not provided any food and medicine during tens of  hours. Despite the fact that the names of the police officers demonstrating obvious violence and torture against citizens are voiced in the media for several times,  also complaints were filed  against them  and sent to the law-enforcement bodies, the torturers are still being protected  by the law-enforcement bodies. 

Public Chamber also condemns incogitable pressures against Tazakhan Miralamli and his family as a shameful case for humanity. Tazakhan Miralamli faced violent treatment of police during April 2 demonstration of the Public Chamber, he was severely tortured. In the result of physical and moral tortures left eye, kidney, lower limbs of T.Miralamli were seriously injured. The government didnt stop its illegal and non-ethical pressure campaign even during his medical treatment.  Meanwhile  reproach and insult campaign was organized against his children going to high school for being descendants of the oppositioner.  Growing moral terror resulted in patological affect condition of T.Miralamli’s son committing a murder.

Not being exhausted with the unbearable tragedy of two families, the government became much more agressive towards the family of T.Miralamli.  Demonstrations of “workers” with the participation of workers receiving salary from the state budget were organized against him.  School principle, which T.Miralamli works at, was administretively ordered to slander and dismiss him from his job. The school principle was intimidated for not agreeing with illegal order of Adalat Asgarov, head of education department of Jalilabad region.  The video demonstrating everything was posted via internet  revealing the government.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2IUKxM2iLI&feature=player_embedded).

Public Chamber also acknowledges long-term administrative arrest of the human rights defender Vidadi Isgandarli after both demonstrations and a criminal case opened against him afterwards for the so called intervnetion in the recent parliament elections as political malevolence.   Vidadi Isgandarli is known as an active and principal person struggling for the restoration of violated rights of citizens. Moreover, he strongly critisized corruption actions of the public officials during parliamentary elections, revealing election falsification with clear facts in  Goychay region where he was running from. (videos demonstrating falsification http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klenUf9L_yg). Inspite of government’s offers to him to keep silence, to stop his activity within the Public Chamber, V.Isgandarli didnt agree with this and as a result a false criminal case was opened against him. 

Public Chamber also condemns the fight of Azerbaijani government with the youth. Nizami district court of Ganja city sentenced a young activist, Harvard University  graduate Bakhtiyar Hajiyev to 2 years of jail.  This verdict made directly by order of government is completely illegal and unjust. Azerbaijani government has arrested 6 young people for their political views since the beginning of 2011.  Tural Abbasli, Javid Mehraliyev, Jabbar Savalanli and others were suspended from their universities for their politcial views and struggle. It is underlied by the Public Chamber that arresting youth and challenging their education by this while declaring that youth are surrounded by the governmental care  is a clear fact of hypocracy and double standart policy of the government

Moreover,  dismissing Hikmat Aghayev, activist of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Sahib Rustamli (from Sabirabad), head of  the  Yardimli office of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party  Gulbala Ahmadli, member of the Supreme Assembly of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Rashad Hasanov (from Shirvan), member of Classical Popular Front Party Hikmat Aghayev and his son from their jobs for their political views is also acknowledged as a step beyond political ethics and law.  The Chambers states that restriction of labor rights of citizens  in public offices and private companies  for their political views, pressuring them through administrative bodies is unacceptable. Such a policy carried out by the government agaisnt citizes is assessed as discrimination in the international law.

The several times summon of hundreds of opposition activists and Public Chamber members to the police stations  because of April 2 demonstration, moral and physical pressures made against them in the police stations is also assessed  by the Public Chamber as illegal actions.  

Public Chamber also condemns strongly engagement of the criminals sentenced for drug abuse and organized criminal groupping by police in the “Public Councils” created with the purpose to aid police in the related departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  Participation of those people in establishment of “law and rules”  during peaceful demonstrations, as well as their involvement in the criminal actions such as destroying the building of social and public importance is unaaceptable. (http://www.musavat.com/new/Video/98257-%C5%9E%C3%9C%C5%9E%C6%8F_SINDIRAN_AL%C3%87AQ; http://gdb.rferl.org/20A77885-7E78-4C0B-95B3-25F5667180B6_mw800.jpg; http://www.azadliq.org/video/17265.html).

Public Chamber considers that search of the documents related to the activity of the Public Chamber and their confiscation from the headquarters of Musavat Party by prosecutor office on April 26, 2011 is a fact of illegal pressure agaisnt opposition and growing lay of protesters.

Public Chamber strongly condemns the violence shown by the government against people for their religious views trying to use their freedom of assembly and related arrests. Public Chamber states that believers are also citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan and they also must enjoy all their constitutional rights.

 Declaring peaceful and civil methods as its major principles of  activity the Public Chamber (“Public Chamber refers to the principals, norms, rules and articles ensured by the international agreements (statemets, convetions, pacts, etc.) which the Republic of Azerbaijan joined to and acknowledges only on-violent, peaceful, civil ways and methods of struggle. Statement on Establishment of thje Public Chamber)”  calls the government to stop its black-hundreder and repressive treatment towards citizens.

Expressing its sincere intention for  citizen confrontation to go back to the normal discourse and liberating citizens from additional tension the Public Chamber demands to stop persecutions, termination of the bogus  criminal cases   opened against participants of April 2 demonstration, immediate release of the members of supporters of the Public Chamber, punishment of the responsible persons for torture, violence and illegal cases of  job dismissing from the government.