Event of campaign "Art for Democracy" disrupted in Baku, organizers report

The administration of the Grand Hotel in Baku, where an event of the human rights campaign "Art for Democracy" was scheduled for April 29, has notified about impossibility of renting the place.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the campaign "Art of Democracy" was launched on December 10, 2012. It was organized by three NGOs of Azerbaijan – the "Human Rights Club" (HRC), the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) and the Centre for National and International Studies (CNIS) – with the aim to promote democracy through arts. The rights defender Rasul Djafarov is the coordinator.

According to his story, "a gas leakage" from the pipe passing close to the conference hall was named to be the reason for the cancellation of the event.

"This is not a reason – it's just an absurd excuse. Should there be 'a gas leak', they'd have to evacuate people. But the hotel continues its normal operation," said Djafarov. He regards it as "another evidence of censorship in Azerbaijan."

At the same time, he noted that the campaign "Art for Democracy" still intends to carry out the planned event shortly in some other place.

He added that it was not the first case, when NGO activists were refused to provide premises for events in hotels and movie theatres.