10 Dec 12 | Europe and Central Asia
In Azerbaijan, it is not only journalists who face intimidation, arrests and violence: artists, musicians and writers also come under attack for exercising their right to artistic freedom. To coincide with the UN’s International Human Rights Day, Art for Democracy, a new initiative to support artistic freedom, was launched in Baku.
“Art for Democracy seeks to use all forms of artistic freedom of expression to promote democracy and respect for human rights in Azerbaijan, including to improve the climate for artistic freedom of expression itself”, said Art for Democracy‘s coordinator Rasul Jafarov. “It will also give artists a platform to come together and use their talents to promote democratic change”.
In May, Azerbaijani musician Jamal Ali fled the country in fear of his life after he reported that police tortured him in detention. The rapper had criticised President Ilham Aliyev during a concert. Musician and activist Azer Cirttan is also in exile.
It’s clear that, in addition to more traditional campaigns, including political engagement at the Council of Europe and organised demonstrations in Azerbaijan and around the world, a creative approach to promoting free expression in Azerbaijan is also needed. The campaign will also offer direct support to marginalised artists, who are often persecuted for their work.
Art for Democracy builds on the work of Sing for Democracy, which drew attention to the poor health of free expression in Azerbaijan in the run up to the Eurovision Song Contest, hosted in Baku in May. To celebrate the launch, free speech advocates, including Eurovision 2012 winner, Swedish pop star Loreen, recorded video messages of support.
Azerbaijan hosted the Internet Governance Forum, in November. In an open letter to President Aliyev prominent activist and journalist Emin Milli lamented the fact that citizens are “do not dare to speak out” against the dictator’s policies, “online or offline”. “You have successfully managed to silence them,” he added.
In this climate, Art for Democracy is an important, fresh voice that will draw together the country’s most important free expression experts, ensuring that a wider audience is informed about the very serious free expression crisis in Azerbaijan today.
Read Index’s fact file on Azerbaijan, Access Denied
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20 Nov 12 | Europe and Central Asia
Journalists and activists were arrested and brutally attacked on Saturday, 17 November during an opposition protest in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
Despite wearing clearly-marked press jackets, a number of independent reporters were assaulted, including Yeni Musavat newspaper correspondent Farahim Ilgaroglu, Turan Information Agency eporter Etimad Budagov, Media Forum correspondent Amid Suleymanov and Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) correspondent Rasim Aliyev.
17 Nov Baku – Activists and journalists are arrested during protest (IRFS)
There were also reports that those trying to photograph or video the protest were prevented from doing so — either through intimidation or direct violence. According to some reports, up to 30 opposition activists were arrested.
As part of its commitments to a number of human rights treaties including the European Convention on Human Rights, Azerbaijan must respect its citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. The reality is. different and opposition protests must be sanctioned before going ahead. Earlier this month, on 2 November, parliament accepted amendments that mean the fine for engaging in an illegal protest will substantially increase.
The incident followed the end of the week-long Internet Governance Forum in the Baku, which brought together government officials, technology industry leaders and civil society groups. Though prominent journalists Emin Milli (a former political prisoner) and Khadija Ismayilova (a victim of a blackmail attempt) took part in the forum, many saw this as a PR move designed to give the impression that the government is adopting a more tolerant attitude towards critical voices. This weekend’s events clearly demonstrate this is not the case — authorities have no intention of changing the way they deal with opposition activists. Neelie Kroes of the EU Commission tweeted:
Baku-based Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) has condemned the attack on Azerbaijan’s independent media, and there have been calls for the government to conduct an immediate investigation.
You can find more about the human rights situation on Index’s Azerbaijan: Access Denied page
09 Nov 12 | Digital Freedom, Europe and Central Asia
The fact that Azerbaijan is hosting the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) may seem incongruous to many, not least Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh, who in 2009 were jailed for 14 months ostensibly for disseminating a satirical video remarking on the suspiciously high price the government paid to import donkeys. However, the General Secretary of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU — a specialised UN agency that sets standards for international telephony) has thought about this carefully. Remarking on the role that social networks can play in the strengthening freedoms, Hamadoun Toure said:
The fact of 1 million Facebook users in Azerbaijan shows that the country is among the world leaders in this field.
Perhaps it is too easy to respond to these comments, breathlessly trumpeted in the state media, with a quick check on what Saudi Arabia‘s 5.8 million Facebook users might indicate for freedom in that country. When I was in Baku, one blogger told me that the internet in Azerbaijan is relatively open (at least to those with access, penetration remains low outside the cities), sites are not blocked and the authorities would encourage everyone to say everything online with the unfortunate caveat that it is all recorded and you may pay for your expression with a late night knock at door, your career terminated, or worse.
A Eurovision protest is crushed in Baku
These claims further demonstrate the Aliyev regime’s frustrating insistence on organising international events and thus opening up the country to examination, only to be baffled when not everyone is happy at the host’s questionable activities. In May 2012, Azerbaijan spent untold amounts of its oil profits on throwing a lavish Eurovision Song Contest only for party-pooping journalists and activists to kill the mood by publishing images of beaten protesters, impoverished citizens and the smoking ruins of houses bulldozed to make way for the Eurovision arena Crystal Hall. After the contest had finished and the circus had left town, presidential spokesman Ali Hasanov departed from the cuddly Eurovision script to recommend that “public hatred” should be directed towards the independent media that brought these issues to light.
Like other eccentric, lonely billionaires, president Ilham Aliyev seems to think that ostentatious displays of wealth lead to happiness. Azerbaijan’s money actually could buy happiness for the population if directed in the right way but instead it is lost in a black hole of corruption or funnelled into curious white elephant projects, culminating recently in the most audacious to date: a statue of former leader Heydar Aliyev in a park in Mexico City. Meanwhile the President’s children are blessed with multi-million dollar property portfolios, and the majority of Azerbaijanis struggle along.
My experience as a foreign journalist in Azerbaijan during Eurovision was bizarre from the moment I stepped off the plane. After being welcomed by some friendly young volunteers I was shepherded on to a large coach with Eurovision logos emblazoned on the side in which I was the sole passenger. I spent part of the journey along Heydar Aliyev Avenue, admiring the ubiquitous Heydar Aliyev posters and wondering why a large fence had been erected either side of the motorway. Some Azeribaijanis dryly termed this the “belt of happiness”, as it was clearly a flagrant attempt to conceal the sprawl of ramshackle houses beyond it.
The belt of happiness provides a useful metaphor of the Azerbaijani government’s constant clumsy attempts to conceal deep problems in the country with a gold sticker and hope that visiting observers and investors will not notice. The act of hosting the IGF does not mark you out as a pioneer of freedom any more than building a statue in Mexico endears you to Mexicans. Such moves can be used to fuel the gargantuan PR machine that says Azerbaijan is a stable, open-minded country to do business with, when in fact bribery and financial chicanery are endemic and teenagers are arrested for shouting the word freedom on the streets. However, Azerbaijan must be encouraged in its unquenchable thirst for partying and events if only to attract increased scrutiny to yet another repressive regime that exchanges oil for the silence of European politicians.
More on this story:
Learn more on Azerbaijan‘s human rights situation on our Azerbaijan: Access Denied page
Running scared: Azerbaijan’s silenced voices, a report on freedom of expression by the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan
06 Nov 12 | Azerbaijan News, Digital Freedom, Europe and Central Asia, News and features
Azerbaijan’s government locks up its online critics on trumped-up charges. It’s an odd choice to host a giant international forum on internet freedom and Rebecca Vincent asks international visitors to look below the country’s modern veneer
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“Art for Democracy seeks to use all forms of artistic freedom of expression to promote democracy and respect for human rights in Azerbaijan, including to improve the climate for artistic freedom of expression itself”, said Art for Democracy‘s coordinator Rasul Jafarov. “It will also give artists a platform to come together and use their talents to promote democratic change”.