MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Azerbaijan
10.5.2011
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Ulrike Lunacek, Heidi Hautala, Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, Raül Romeva i Rueda on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0330/2011
B7‑0340/2011
European Parliament resolution on Azerbaijan
The European Parliament,
– having regard its previous resolutions on Azerbaijan and, in particular, that of 17 December 2009 on “Freedom of expression” in this country[1],
- having regard to its resolution of 7 April 2011 on Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy - Eastern Dimension[2],
- having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2010 on the Need for an EU Strategy for the South Caucasus[3],
- having regard to the resolution of 20 January 2011 on an EU Strategy for the Black Sea[4],
- having regard to the conclusions of the Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers meeting of 13 December 2010,
- having regard to the Statement by the spokesperson of the Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy of 18 April 2011,
- having regard to the Commission communication of 3 December 2008 on Eastern Partnership,
- having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EC and Azerbaijan which entered into force in 1999,
– having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Azerbaijan is actively participating in the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership, is a founding member of Euronest and is committed to respecting democracy, human rights and the rule of law that are core values of these initiatives,
B. whereas in September 2009 the Council decided to enhance the relations between the EU and the three countries of the South Caucasus and negotiations were subsequently launched, these now being well underway with a view to reaching a new agreement replacing the present Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,
C. whereas on 11 and 12 March 2011 peaceful rallies organized by opposition parties and social network activists were violently broken up and dispersed by the police in Baku after the organizers were unreasonably denied permission to gather in a central square, whereas many participants or people who had intended to take part were detained and severely beaten,
D. whereas around 16 March 2011 Azerbaijani courts sentenced at least 30 people who took part in those peaceful protests to between 5 and 8 days in prison in late-night trials that were closed to the public, whereas most defendants did not have access to counsel of their choosing, whereas the police refused to allow detainees to contact lawyers and lawyers for some of the defendants did not know when or where the trials were being held,
E. whereas the authorities detained at least 11 prominent political activists ahead of a 2 April 2011 protest organized by opposition political parties through Facebook, whereas the wave of arrests began on 29 March 2011 when Nazim Abbasli from the Azerbaijan Democrat Party was arrested and given five days’ administrative detention and Elchin Samalov of the youth wing of opposition party Musavat was sentenced to seven days' administrative detention,
F. whereas on 2 April 2011, police in Baku prevented political opposition and youth rallies from taking place on Fountain Square and other locations in the city center, whereas police sealed off the sites and detained many on their way to the rally and also roughly mishandled those who managed to gather, put them on special buses and took them to various police stations, whereas during the protest several pro-opposition news websites experienced problems and were inaccessible,
G. whereas the Human Rights House Azerbaijan, which is a member of the International Human Rights House Network, registered in Azerbaijan in May, was closed down by the authorities following an order of the Ministry of Justice issued on 10 March, whereas the Ministry justified the closure on the grounds of a breach by the organisation of the Azerbaijani Law on Non-Governmental Organizations,
H. whereas the overall human rights situation in Azerbaijan has deeply deteriorated over the last few years in spite of the adoption of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan, with growing pressure on and intimidation of NGOs and independent media that have caused a widespread sense of fear among opposition forces and human rights defenders as well as youth and social network activists and have led to self-censorship among journalists,
I. whereas Azerbaijan is a member of the Council of Europe and a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as well as a number of other international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
1. Expresses its deep concern at the increasing number of incidents of harassment, attacks and violence against civil society and social networks activists and journalists in Azerbaijan, which prove the determination of Azerbaijani authorities to clamp down on any forms of critical dissent and undercut the freedom of assembly;
2. Deplores the actions taken by the Azerbaijani Government in March and April 2011 to crush any attempts by opposition and youth and social network activists to gather peacefully, including detaining activists on flimsy grounds before they could even reach demonstration sites;
3. Calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release all social media and political activists arrested in connection with the peaceful demonstrations and to drop all charges that appear to be politically motivated;
4. Stresses that the crackdown to prevent peaceful protest is a blatant violation of Azerbaijan's obligations under international law; urges the Azerbaijani authorities, in this regard, to allow the peaceful demonstrations to take place in relevant locations and calls on the country to fully respect its OSCE and Council of Europe commitments in the fields of democracy and human rights;
5. Stresses that the trials held in secret are a blatant violation of the Azerbaijan Civil Procedures Code and in violation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 6 of which establishes the importance of an open hearing as a fundamental element of the right to a fair trial;
6. Firmly condemns the statement of the speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan considering the work of the Human Rights House Azerbaijan “negatively affecting Azerbaijan’s international image” and calling for the government authorities to “take steps” in this regard; urges the Azerbaijani authorities, in this respect, to allow this organisation to resume its activities in the country without any further hindrance;
7. Expresses its concern at reports over threats in prison against newspaper editor Eynulla Fatullayev and over his deteriorating health which has been exacerbated in the light of reports of denial of access to medical care; stresses that the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the imprisonment of Mr Fatullayev is entirely illegal and calls for his immediate release;
8. Calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to demonstrate concrete progress in meeting the conditions for the upgrading of contractual relations as stipulated in the Declaration by the European Council on the Eastern Partnership of 19-20 March 2009, notably in the area of democracy, the rule of law and human rights;
9. Stresses, in this respect, that democracy and the respect for human rights and the rule of law are an integral part of the new association agreement now being negotiated between Azerbaijan and the EU;
10. Regrets that the establishment of the new sub-committees under the EU-Azerbaijan Cooperation Committee, which were supposed to strengthen the institutional framework with a view to allowing for discussion about strengthening the field of Justice, Freedom and Security and on respect for human rights and democracy, have not achieved the expected results; calls, in particular, on the EU to make every effort in order to make the discussions on human rights and democracy more effective and result-oriented;
11. Calls for renewed efforts by Azerbaijan to fully implement the ENP Action Plan and on the Commission to continue to assist Azerbaijan in this;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU HR/VP for Foreign Affairs and to the President and the Parliament of Azerbaijan.
- [1] OJ C 286E, 22.10.2010, p. 27
- [2] P7_TA(2011)0153
- [3] P7_TA(2010)0193
- [4] P7_TA-PROV(2011)0025