Baku activists criticize anti-corruption projects of CoE and EU

The Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU) have announced two joint projects aimed at strengthening Azerbaijani potentials in countering corruption and improving the quality of justice. Azerbaijani activists have doubted the efficiency thereof and called for organizing public control over these projects.

In particular, it is planned to improve the work of Azerbaijani courts through the introduction of CoE's standards. The budget of this project is 915,000 euros.

The second project includes measures to combat financing of terrorism, countering legalization of proceeds from criminal and corruption actions. The budget of this project is 750,000 euros.

However, civil society activists question the efficiency of these projects.

"The projects lack implementation transparently, since no civil society activists are involved. European structures try to cooperate only with state institutions or pro-governmental structures," Akif Gurbanov, the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, the projects are implemented formally; and considerable funds are spent not for the CoE's aims.

Elshan Gasanov, the coordinator of the Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, is also sceptical about the CoE's projects.

"According to media reports, the main beneficiaries of the projects will be law enforcement bodies, that is, those structures that most actively violate human rights," he said.