London-based daily newspaper Metro ran a feature this month extolling
the delights of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The photo-driven
feature article comes at a time when the government of President Ilham
Aliyev is ratcheting up pressure on dissenters, including denying
independent news outlets the kind of freedoms that a paper such as
Metro, whose parent company is outspoken on the importance of press
freedoms, enjoys in the UK.
Despite attempts to present itself to the outside world as a modern
and open society — in part through a concerted international PR campaign
— Azerbaijan has a woeful human rights record and continues to arrest,
detain and harass any opponents to the regime of President Ilham Aliyev.
In the last few months, many campaigners and activists have been
arrested in an attempt to silence them.
Metro highlighted 10 things to do in Baku. Here we list just five
things you need to know about Azerbaijan before you go. We ask our
supporters and all those who care about a free press and free expression to draw attention to these so we can counter the whitewash of the
Aliyev regime.
There is an ongoing crackdown on government critics
A number of high profile Azerbaijanis known for their criticism of authorities have been jailed in a matter of weeks. These include human rights activists Leyla and Arif Yunus and Rasul Jafarov, human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev and journalist Seymur Hezi. This new wave of repression followed the jailing of two human rights defenders who lead the only independent group monitoring elections in Azerbaijan.
Independent media is silenced
Azerbaijan’s last independent newspaper Azadliq, which was named 2013 Guardian Journalism award winner at the Index Freedom of Expression awards in March 2014, was forced to suspend printing in July because of financial pressures from the government. This is a familiar pattern for Azerbaijan’s critical press, which has long been subjected to an array of attacks. Independent news outlets face economic
sanctions and are often barred from distribution networks. Journalists are also victim to legal threats. In the first six months of 2013, 36 defamation suits were brought against media outlets or journalists.
Award-winning investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova was subjected to an aggressive smear and blackmail campaign in retaliation for her coverage of government corruption and continues to be targeted by authorities.
Internet users are targeted
//www.youtube.com/embed/t-9AjYJoBHg?rel=0
Ahead of last year’s election Azerbaijan extended penalties for criminal
defamation and insult to cover not just traditional media, but also
online content, including social networks. The potential length of
pre-trial detention has increased from 15 to 90 days. In May, a
university student and member of the Free Youth organisation, was
arrested for a Harlem Shake video
posted on YouTube. A human rights defender was sentenced to four years
in jail on hooliganism charges after posting videos on
YouTube containing interviews with victims of a gang they alleged had
connections to local police officers. A freelance journalist who was
outspoken in his criticism of the government on social media was given a
four-and-a-half-year prison sentence on charges that included appealing
for mass disorder.
Artists are censored
Despite the fact that Azerbaijan has committed to respect and protect
artistic freedom of expression, authorities restrict this right. This is
especially the case for alternative artists and those deemed to be
critical of the government, whose ability to perform, display, or
disseminate their work is limited. Self-censorship is one consequence of
this, with many artists shying away from producing critical or
controversial work for fear of the possible consequences. Musician Jamal
Ali, who has spoken out against President Aliyev, was allegedly
tortured by the police.
Democratic principles are ignored
Current president Aliyev has been in power since 2003, when he took over
from his father Heydar, and in 2009 he removed term limits for the
presidency. According to the international observer mission, the October
2013 election “was undermined by limitations on the freedoms of
expression, assembly and association”, with “significant problems”
observed throughout election day. The 2003 and 2008 votes also failed
to meet international standards. Transparency International has called
Aliyev’s government the most corrupt in Europe. Meanwhile, authorities
have engaged in a wide-reaching international PR campaign. In 2012, the
country was given a chance to project a positive image to the world
through hosting the Eurovision Song Contents. Preparations included
urban renewal programs that saw homes demolished and families evicted.
It remains to be seen what will happen next year, when the inaugural
European Games come to Baku.
By Jodie Ginsberg / 17 September, 2014
This article was published on Wednesday 17 Sept 2014 at indexoncensorship.org
