IFJ, CPJ, ILHR and RSF on targeted journalists and presidential elections

IFJ Condemns Crackdown on Media After 73 Journalists Are Attacked in Azerbaijan

IFJ - The International Federation of Journalists today condemned the "criminal assault on democracy and journalists' rights following 73 incidents in which journalists have been beaten up during voting for a new government in Azerbaijan. "This callous disregard for the safety of journalists during an election process is absolutely unacceptable," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

Between October 15 and 17, during presidential elections and a demonstration by the opposition party Musavat in Baku, 73 journalists and media workers observing polling processes were detained, harassed and subjected to violent attacks by policemen and supporters of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party.

Yesterday, special police forces took the offices of the opposition daily Yeni Musavat under control and newspaper staff were forced to move to the building of another opposition daily - Azadliq. The police detained two employees of the newspaper, Safa Qadirov and Teymur Imanov, at the entrance to the office.

The editor-in-chief of Yeni Musavat, Rauf Arifoglu, spoke today with Interior Minister Ramil Usubov, after rumours that he was about to be arrested. Mr. Arifoglu had been stopped by a number of unidentified persons. The Minister told him however that he would not be detained.

"Government attempts to stifle dissent call into question the validity of the election process," said White. "This is a violent and damming beginning to the government of President-elect Ilham Aliyev".

Last night, a broadcast by local TV stations showed Azer Qarachenli, a journalist working for the Baku-based weekly Avropa being kidnapped by special police forces wearing black masks.

The IFJ is urging the Azerbaijani government to reveal the location of Qarachenli immediately. The IFJ is calling on the authorities to respect the basic human rights of journalists in exercising their civil liberty to freedom of expression and to desist from targeting the press as they carry out their professional duties.

"This is not just a plea for the safety of journalists and media staff, what is at stake is the rule of law and democracy itself", says the IFJ.

Police crackdown on media amid presidential elections

CPJ - Police and security forces attacked and wounded dozens of journalists covering two opposition rallies held in the Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.

According to local and international press reports, the Musavat Party organized several rallies to protest the outcome of presidential elections held on Wednesday, October 15.

The Central Election Commission had issued preliminary results reporting that Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev, son of the country's ailing authoritarian president, Heydar Aliyev, had taken nearly 80 percent of the vote, and that the Musavat Party candidate, Isa Gambar, received 12 percent of the vote.

At a rally in front of Musavat's Baku headquarters on Wednesday evening, the independent Turan news agency reported that unidentified civilians attacked two of its correspondents-Elkhan Kerimov and Emin Huseynov. According to Turan, which is based in Baku, the attacks occurred in the presence of police officers.

When policemen arrived to break up the rally at 1 a.m., several men, wearing black uniforms without any insignia, detained Azer Qarachenli, an editor for the independent weekly Avropa, and took him away, said Avropa editor-in-chief Fakhri Ugurlu.

According to Ugurlu, Qarachenli "called us to say that the police had taken him but then his mobile phone was cut off. We still haven't heard from him, and the police said they haven't arrested him."

On Thursday morning, October 16, security forces blocked all access to the Musavat Party headquarters where the opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat is based. The newspaper is currently being published from the offices of the opposition newspaper Azadliq, Ugurlu told CPJ.

Later that day, thousands of angry protesters gathered in central Baku and converged on Azadliq Square where several thousand riot police and soldiers used tear gas, police dogs, water cannons, and truncheons to violently disperse the crowd. Despite presenting their press credentials to cover the protests, dozens of journalists were severely beaten by police and security forces during the riot, which lasted three hours, said local news reports.

Turan news agency released the names of some of the journalists injured during the attack, the list includes: Zafar Quliyev, Emin Huseynov, and Ilkin Quliyev of Turan agency; Fuad Hasanquliyev and Sabina Iskenderli of the Interfax-Azerbaijan news agency; Aqil Jamal and Khayal Babayev of the Azadliq newspaper; general secretary of the Confederation of Journalists Azer Hasret; Shirkhan Agayev of the Proqnoz newspaper; Sarkarda Sarkhanoglu, Nabi Alishov, Adil Huseynov, Tahir Aliyaroglu, and Tebriz Sadayoglu of the Hurriyyet newspaper; Nijat Daglar, Konul Veliyeva, Metanet Muslimqizi, and Vasim Mammedov of the Baki Khabar newspaper; Eynulla Umudov and Etibar Savalan of the Galajak Gun newspaper; and Elza Alishova, Mansura Sattarova, Lala Musaqizi, Afqan Qafarov, and Kenan Rovshanoglu of the Jumhuriyet newspaper.

LEAGUE EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT CONDUCT OF AZERBAIJAN'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

ILHR - The International League for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization with a consultative status at the United Nations ECOSOC is gravely concerned about the conduct of Azerbaijan's October 15th presidential elections in which the ruling party candidate Ilham Aliyev claimed overwhelming victory and succeeded his father Heydar Aliyev as president, amid reports of widespread electoral irregularities.

Furthermore, the League strongly condemns the use of excessive violence by the police forces against political opposition protesters in Azerbaijan's capital Baku on the evening of October 15 and the following day.

Clashes between the police and the disgruntled protesters which began on the election day grew into a massive violent confrontation on October 16.

After the Central Election Commission announced Ilham Aliyev's victory with nearly 80% of the vote, thousands of supporters of the main opposition candidate and head of the Musavat party Isa Gambar, as well as other opposition candidates, poured into the streets of Baku in an unsanctioned rally to protest the official election results.

As the protesters made their way to the Azadliq (Liberty) Square, the police troops surrounded them and began brutally assaulting them, injuring scores of protesters and members of the press working at the scene. At least two deaths have been reported as a result of the clashes, including a five-year-old child. The police also sustained extensive injuries.

Although the Azerbaijani authorities maintain that the mass unrest was instigated by the opposition leaders in order to destabilize Azerbaijan, according to numerous accounts, the police actions were unprovoked.

Meanwhile, local and international observers of Azerbaijan's presidential elections reported instances of fraud and unfair practices during the poll The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe already declared that the election did not meet international and European standards. Peters Eicher, head of OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) also stated that "this election has been a missed opportunity for a genuinely democratic election process".

The International League for Human Rights calls for a thorough investigation into all allegations of electoral fraud thoroughly. Individuals responsible for electoral misconduct should be exposed and held accountable. Government officials who ordered the use of violence against opposition protesters, as well as the police officers who carried out those orders should be brought to justice.

However, the League fears that supporters of Ilham Aliyev and Azerbaijan's ruling party will blame the violent clashes on the opposition and will use the occasion to crack down on political rivals. Hundreds of protesters have been detained already, including Iqbal Agazade, leader of political party Umid, who has been arrested on charges of organizing the protests.

The League calls for an impartial investigation into the events of October 16th, which will uncover individuals truly responsible for any criminal activity, not simply appoint scapegoats.

One journalist missing, two others detained

RSF - Reporters Without Borders today voiced deep concern about the disappearance of Azer Garachenli, a correspondent for the weekly Avropa, following his arrest during clashes yesterday in Baku between police and demonstrators protesting about the preceding day's presidential elections.

Although there is videotape of his being detained by masked members of the police special forces, the interior ministry has denied that he is being held. Reporters Without Borders called on the authorities to do everything possible to locate him at once.

Despite government assurances that calm has been restored, two more journalist were detained today and thousands of copies of opposition newspapers were seized. Reporters Without Borders therefore also urged the authorities to release the detained journalists and to condemn any obstruction to the free flow of information.

The two journalists detained today were Sayaf Gadoriv and Teymur Imanov of the opposition daily Yeni Musavat. They were picked up by police as they left the newspaper's offices. Editor in chief Rauf Arifoglu was nearly arrested in the afternoon, but escaped in his car. The reason for these arrests was unknown.

Meanwhile, unidentified men in civilian dress today confiscated more than 20,000 copies of opposition newspapers from news stands in several cities. The targeted newspapers were Yeni Musavat, Azadliq, Hurriyet and Baki Khabar. Copies were also taken from street vendors.

Aflatun Amashev, president of the Committee for Journalists' Rights (RUH) said at a news conference today at the Baku Press Club that more than 70 journalists were the victims of violence on 15 and 16 October. He said 49 of them were injured and six had their cameras or video equipment smashed or confiscated. Among the injured journalists, there is continuing concern about the condition of Nabi Alishov of the daily Hurriyyet and Emin Huseynov, a correspondent for the news agency Turan.

Posted on Saturday, October 18 @ 09:59:23 CDT by adm