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Police and prosecutors do not hurry to comment on the brutal beating of
a human rights defender Ilgar Nasibov in Nakhchivan. Local law
enforcement agencies have not yet filed a lawsuit , and did not
recognize the human rights activist a victims. The press service of the
Prosecutor General’s Office and the Interior Ministry also has nothing
to say on the matter.

In all other cases, even the minor one, the police show a remarkable
speed, but when it comes to human rights activists and journalists, the
authorities pretend that nothing happened.

Foto: TURAN

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said
she was alarmed by yesterday’s violent attack on journalist Ilgar
Nasibov in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan.

“I call on the authorities to conduct a swift and thorough
investigation of this brutal attack on Nasibov and bring those
responsible to justice,” Mijatović said. “This criminal act has an
enormous chilling effect on free expression and free media and it could
inspire future crimes against members of the media.”

Nasibov, a journalist actively contributing to several media outlets in
Azerbaijan, including Turan News Agency and Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, was assaulted on 21 August by a number of individuals in his
office at the Resource Centre for Development of NGOs and Democracy in
Nakhichevan. Nasibov sustained serious injuries, including concussion,
broken cheekbones, nose and ribs. He is still in a very critical
condition and receiving medical treatment at the hospital. The attackers
also smashed and destroyed property and office equipment.

Nasibov has been prosecuted, threatened and physically attacked several
times in the past. In December 2007, he was arrested and convicted to a
one-year suspended sentence for libel charges. In July 2011, Nasibov,
together with other journalists, was assaulted and briefly detained by
the police. Both issues were raised by the Representative with the
Azerbaijani authorities.

Following a recent crackdown on free media voices in Azebaijan,
Mijatović also expressed concern about continuing harassment of the
Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS). In addition to
frozen bank accounts and confiscation of property earlier this month,
the IRFS office was closed by law enforcement authorities and its staff
is now being interrogated (see www.osce.org/fom/122481 and www.osce.org/fom/122389).

“This ongoing persecution of independent journalists, media activists
and freedom of expression advocates must stop immediately. The
authorities in Azerbaijan have to do their utmost to stop these
practices,” Mijatović said.

Mijatović said that her Office was ready to support Azerbaijan in
fulfilling its media freedom commitments and that a visit to Baku in the
near future would help address these issues.

Foto: TURAN

The condition of the beaten the night before Nakhchivan human rights
activist and journalist Ilgar Nasibov remains hard. He was placed in
the intensive care unit of a local hospital.

Morning of August 22 the spouse of Ilgar, Malahat Nasibova told Turan
that he had a severe concussion, broken cheekbones, nose and ribs,
bleeding wounds of the head and body. He stopped seeing in one eye.

Doctors stamped on the face and head more than a dozen stitches and fear that Ilgar could also suffer intracranial hemorrhage.

“In the evening we were called by one of the visitors to our Resource
Centre, Farid. He called Ilgar to the office on some matter.

After some time, I was informed that Ilgar was in serious condition,
and the office was destroyed. Ilgar, bleeding, was lying on the floor
and survived by sheer luck.

When he was brought back to life, he said that Farid rushed at him,
and in his hand was something like brass knuckles. Then a group of
people burst into the room, and began to choke him. What was more, he
does not remember,” said Malahat Nasibova.

Prosecutors and police arrived at the scene and took the primary
indications. “I said to them that the suspect in the incident is the
Department of Homeland Security,” said Nasibova.

2014 August 21 23:01:52

Late on Thursday, a group of unidentified persons attacked the office of the Resource Center for Democracy in Nakhchivan.

The attackers severely beat the Center’s employee Ilgar Nasibov and
ransacked the office. On this Turan was reported by the Director of the
Center and the wife of Ilgar Nasibov, Malahat Nasibova.

“Ilgar has lost a lot of blood, he is unconscious and has multiple injuries,” said Malahat by phone.
The reason for the attack is unknown, but very likely it can be argued
that this is part of the crackdown on civil society, launched in
Azerbaijan in the last period.

Note that the Resource Center is the only independent NGO in
Nakhchivan, which has long been an object of persecution by the local
authorities. Malahat and Ilgar Nasibov have been threatened many times
and they have become subject to physical and moral pressure. But crimes
against them have never been investigated.

Last week, unknown people tried to enter the apartment of the Nasibovs.

Foto: TURAN

United Nations human rights experts* today condemned the growing
tendency to prosecute prominent human rights defenders in Azerbaijan,
and urged the Government “to show leadership and reverse the trend of
repression, criminalization and prosecution of human rights work in the
country.”

“We are appalled by the increasing incidents of surveillance,
interrogation, arrest, sentencing on the basis of trumped-up charges,
assets-freezing and ban on travel of the activists in Azerbaijan,” they
said. “The criminalization of rights activists must stop. Those who were
unjustifiably detained for defending rights should be immediately
freed.”

The experts highlighted the specific cases of Leyla Yunus, director of
the Azerbaijani Institute of Peace and Democracy; Arif Yunus, head of
Conflict Studies in the Institute of Peace and Democracy; Rasul Jafarov,
coordinator of Art of Democracy and head of Human Rights Club; and
Intigam Aliyev, chair of Legal Education Society.

“We are alarmed at the wave of politically-motivated repression of
activists in reprisal for their legitimate work in documenting and
reporting human rights violations,” they noted, reiterating their grave
concerns about the deteriorating situation in the country for the third
time in less than a year.

The UN experts reminded the authorities of their legal obligations
under international human rights law, which guarantees everyone in
Azerbaijan the rights to freedom of expression, of peaceful assembly and
association, without undue interference.

“The State’s primary responsibility should be to protect its civil
society activists from intimidation, harassment, threats or attacks,”
they stressed.

“Azerbaijan’s recent membership of the UN Committee on Non-Governmental
Organizations does not square well with the authorities’ actions
directed at stifling freedoms on the ground,” the UN rights experts
noted.

(*) The experts: The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom or opinion and expression, David Kaye.

The United Nations human rights experts are part of what it is known as
‘Special Procedures’, the largest body of independent experts in the UN
Human Rights system. ‘Special Procedures’ is the general name of the
independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights
Council that address either specific country situations or thematic
issues in all parts of the world. Currently, there are 38 thematic
mandates and 14 mandates related to countries and territories, with 73
mandate holders.

On August 19 the lawyer Alaif Hasanov visited in detention the human
rights defenders Leila Yunus and Intigam Aliyev, reported Radio
Liberty.

“Leila Yunus is contained in a cell measuring 12 square meters, where
there are also 6 people. There’s no air and there is a special attitude
towards the prisoners. In particular, into the next cell they brought
life prisoners from the Gobustan prison,” said the lawyer.

Despite numerous appeals, the prison administration refuses to take
medication and dietary food for Leyla Yunus, suffering from acute
diabetes.

“Leyla Yunus said she eats almost nothing and she is not allowed to correspond,” said the lawyer.

She is convinced that this is done deliberately and is a punishment for
her human rights activities. The goal is simple – to physically destroy
her and her husband Arif.

The meeting between the lawyer and Leyla Yunus is a big problem. In
spite of the established order, the administration repeatedly informs
the leadership and other authorities to give permission for access to
Leyla Yunus, said Alaif Hasanov.

As for Intigam Aliyev, his position is relatively better.