HRW claims restrictions to fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan

In 2019, the Azerbaijan's authorities continued to maintain rigid control, severely curtailing freedoms of association, expression, and assembly. Some of the persons sentenced on politically motivated charges remained in prisons, and the persecution of critics of the authorities continued, the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) states in its report.

The HRW has released the 2020 World Report on the human rights situation in the world. The document, a part of which is dedicated to Azerbaijan, summarizes the results of 2019. According to the HRW's report, "the Azerbaijan's government released over 50 human rights defenders, journalists, opposition activists, religious believers and other perceived critics of the government imprisoned on politically motivated charges. But at least 30 others remained wrongfully imprisoned, while the authorities regularly targeted its critics and other dissenting voices. Other human rights problems persisted, including torture and ill-treatment in custody, violations of freedom of assembly, undue interference in the work of advocates, and restrictions on media freedoms."

In its report, the HRW also criticizes the fact that "Azerbaijan effectively imposes a blanket ban on protests in the central areas of Baku and instead offers demonstrators remote locations on the outskirts of the city for rallies." According to the HRW, "in 2019, the number of people handed administrative fines or brief jail terms for supposedly violating the country's restrictive regulations on public gatherings was several times higher than throughout 2018."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 18, 2020 at 11:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.