Azerbaijan: Assault against the son of two women human rights defenders

08/08/2013
Urgent Appeal

The Observatory has been informed by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) about the assault against the son of Ms. Matanat Azizova, Head of the Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) and Deputy Director of the IPD, and grandson of Ms. Mirvari Gahramanly, Head of the Committee to Protect Oil Industry Workers’ Rights.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Azerbaijan.

Brief description of the situation:

According to the information received, in the evening of July 19, 2013, two men came up to Mr. Jamal Azizov, 17 year-old, as he was near his house. They took him rudely by his shoulder, and reportedly “advised” him to tell his mother and grandmother - namely Ms. Matanat Azizova and Ms. Mirvari Gahramanly - “how to speak in the press”. Allegedly, they threatened to cut his tongue off to silence his mother. Finally, they beat the boy black and blue on his shoulder and neck.

The Observatory condemns the assault against Mr. Jamal Azizov as well as the alleged threats against Ms. Matanat Azizova and Ms. Mirvari Gahramanly, and fears they are an attempt to silence the two women’s efforts to report on human rights violations. Recently, Ms. Gahramanly has indeed published several articles and interviews about the violation of women’s rights and sexual harassment within the State Oil Company, and Ms. Azizova has gathered information for IPD about the violation of property rights by Baku executive power and the State Oil Company.

Accordingly, the Observatory calls upon the authorities of Azerbaijan to order an immediate, thorough, effective and impartial investigation into those events in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal sanctions provided by the law.

Background information:

In November 2012, after Zerkalo newspaper released an interview of Ms. Matanat Azizova about human trafficking in Azerbaijan, Ms. Azizova was assaulted and beat up by an unknown man at the entrance of her house. The mass media gave a wide coverage to this event. As a consequence, the first Deputy Minister Vilayyet Eyvazov met with Ms. Azizova and promised to order a thorough investigation of the case, saying that the case was under control of the Minister of Internal Affairs. However, despite a few investigative experiments and the photofit of an assaulter, the case has remained unsolved.

Moreover, although Ms. Azizova initially wanted to lodge a complaint to the police following the recent attack against her son and to denounce the impunity following her previous assault, she finally renounced doing so after she was told by the investigator who had the responsibility to conduct the investigation into the assault against her in 2012 that he had never investigated the said assault.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Azerbaijan urging them to:

i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Matanat Azizova, Ms. Mirvari Gahramanly, their relatives as well as of all human rights defenders and their families in Azerbaijan;

ii. Order an immediate, thorough, effective and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned events in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal sanctions provided by the law;

iii. Put an end to any kind of harassment against all human rights defenders in Azerbaijan;

iv. Comply with all the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, in particular:
 its Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”,
 Article 12.1, which foresees that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”,
 and its Article 12.2 which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”

v. Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments ratified by Azerbaijan.

Addresses:

· Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 19 Istiqlaliyyat St., Baku AZ1066, Azerbaijan, Fax: +994 12 492 06 25, +994 412 92 28 68, E-mail: office@pa.gov.az, office@apparat.gov.az
· Mr. Ramil Usubov, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijani Republic, Ministry of Internal Affairs, 7 Azerbaijan ave., AZ 1001, Baku, Azerbaijan. Fax: + 994 12 492 45 90. Email: info@mia.gov.az
· H.E. Mr. Murad N. Najafbayli, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations in Geneva, Route des Fayards 237, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 901 18 44. E-mail: geneva@mission.mfa.gov.az
· H.E. Mr. Fuad Isgandarov, Ambassador, Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the European Union, Avenue Moliere 464, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. Fax: +32 2 345 91 58. Email: office@azembassy.be

Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Azerbaijan in your respective country as well as to the EU diplomatic missions or embassies in Azerbaijan.

***
Geneva-Paris, August 7, 2013

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory, an OMCT and FIDH venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
· Email: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29
· Tel and fax FIDH: +33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / 01 43 55 18 80

Read more