Azerbaijan: Restricted freedoms cast doubt on November elections

NEW YORK, October 21, 2005 -- With less than three weeks until parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, the authorities’ restrictions on a range of rights cast serious doubt on the ability of average Azeri citizens to enjoy a free and fair vote on November 6, Freedom House said today.
Azerbaijani authorities last week arrested scores of opposition supporters. Political demonstrations, which have been taking place weekly in the run-up to the elections, have been marred by police brutality, intimidation and arbitrary arrests of opposition members.
“The Azeri authorities are demonstrating a troubling pattern of denial of rights, which suggests that there is insufficient political will to carry out fair and representative elections” said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor. “The world is watching to ensure that next month’s parliamentary elections are free and fair. Crackdowns on political opposition and denial of freedom of assembly are not ingredients for free and fair elections.”
The intimidation campaign and the government’s slow pace of reform cast into question the government’s will to meet its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe. Substantial restrictions on election-related gatherings and ongoing impediments to press freedom are among the obstacles to an open and fair electoral process.

In May 2005, Freedom House issued recommendations urging the Azerbaijani government to demonstrate its commitment to democratic reform. Freedom House once again calls on the government of Azerbaijan to:

• Cease the aggressive denial of rights and the violence against opposition activists and political candidates;

• Allow fair media representation for a diversity of political views capable of reaching a national audience;

• Enable the unfettered activity of civil society in the run-up to and after the elections.

“The Azerbaijani government must cease trying to silence opposition members, candidates, and journalists and must ensure that next month free and fair elections lay the foundation for future democratic progress in Azerbaijan,” said Ms. Windsor.

Freedom House also calls on protesters to refrain from using violence.

According to Nations in Transit 2005, Freedom House's comprehensive examination of democratization in the post-Soviet world, Azerbaijan deteriorated across virtually all of the sectors examined in the report, including electoral process.

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