THE WASHINGTON POST: HOW LONG WILL COE TOLERATE AZERBAIJAN’S CHAIRMANSHIP, WHICH HAS NO RESPECT FOR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS?
12:58 14/08/2014 ” REGION
When an autocrat who is intolerant of dissent begins to see spies and
traitors around, it is a good time to be alert. Now is such a moment
in Azerbaijan, reads The Washington Post.
The regime of President Ilham Aliyev has imprisoned one of the
country’s most outspoken advocates for human rights, Leyla Yunus,
and her husband, Arif. The charges: treason, fraud, tax evasion and
illegal business activities.
According to the article Ms. Yunus is director of the Institute
for Peace and Democracy in Baku, a human rights organization, and,
in addition to her work defending political prisoners, she has been
at the forefront of attempts to bridge the country’s long hostility
with Armenia. She organized exchanges and confidence-building efforts
between Azeri and Armenian intellectuals, and this apparently provided
the pretext for the absurd charge of espionage. Ms. Yunus was arrested
on 30 July and her husband on 5th of August.
For years, Ms. Yunus has spoken out loudly about human rights abuses
in Azerbaijan. Another human rights activist, Rasul Jafarov, was
also arrested recently, and dozens of others have been detained for
political reasons in recent months. Mr. Aliyev may think he is being
clever by silencing critics, the article reads.
“Mr. Aliyev may think he is being clever by silencing critics while
a crisis in Ukraine has distracted world attention. But that’s what
is different from Soviet times. It is no longer possible to hide such
uncivilized behavior. The arrests have drawn wide protests from human
rights groups and other nongovernmental organizations. Ms.â~@~IYunus
wrote an open letter from her jail cell, referring to “jackals of
the regime” and declaring: “You could not withstand our words. You
responded with violence,” the publication writes.
The Washington Post notes that it is beyond comprehension how Mr.
Aliyev can carry out such repression at a time when Azerbaijan is
chair of the committee of ministers of theCouncil of Europe, the
continent’s leading human rights organization. Mr. Aliyev clearly
craves respect abroad. But his actions deserve condemnation.
“Leyla and Arif Yunus should be freed immediately. If they are not,
perhaps the Council of Europe should ask how long it can tolerate a
chairmanship by a nation that does not respect even the basic tenets
of human rights and rule of law,” the article reads.
Source: Panorama.am
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2014/08/14/the-washington-post-how-long-will-coe-tolerate-azerbaijans-chairma/
