Rufat Safarov: “There is no guarantee of a democratic structure in Azerbaijan”

2023-09-13 06:10:27

In an interview, human rights defender Rufat Safarov talked about the recent situation of human rights in the country and what can be done to improve this situation.

How would you evaluate the recent situation regarding human rights in the country?

Especially during the last year, there are serious problems related to human rights, especially political freedoms in Azerbaijan. Political repressions are observed in various directions. Criminal proceedings with political weight are taking place against people of faith, religious people, social activists, journalists, political figures. At best, there are administrative prosecutions. I would say that the situation of human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan is getting worse. This attracts the attention of not only local activists and human rights defenders, but also organizations specializing in human rights operating at the international level. It is not accidental that the situation in Azerbaijan in this sense is considered unsatisfactory in the reports. There is no guarantee of a democratic structure. It is a pity that republican traditions are on the sidelines in Azerbaijan, contrary to the constitution, monarchical traditions are on the field. What are we observing in recent months? We are seeing a transition from a more monarchical system to a dictatorship. What’s going on here? There is no place for different persons, parties, ideologies. This is already worrying. There is no place for independent thinking in Azerbaijan in this regime. The point is that the authorities not only ignore critical remarks, but as a rule, they deny the existence of political prisoners and persecution in Azerbaijan, and instead pursue a more violent and violent policy.

Civil society activists draw attention to recent arrests after social actions. Thus, after the events in Soyudlu, several people were arrested, including former deputy Nazim Beydamirli. After the couriers’ protest on August 1, 3 members of the Workers’ Table Trade Union Confederation were arrested, while one was released and a criminal case was opened. What can you say about these arrests? What is your attitude to the opinion that there is a political order in these arrests?

I would say that a repressive policy is being implemented in Azerbaijan, which has been updated, but is getting tougher. Rather, the Azerbaijani authorities treat 2023 as an undeclared “year of repression”. Since the arrest of social activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev in December of last year, there has not been a month without political persecution and trials. All repressive measures reveal that any critical approach to the ruling politics in Azerbaijan faces isolation. It is enough that you criticize the country’s religious, social, military, cultural and economic policy. Although there are different worldviews and positions, the parties criticizing this or that policy are getting their share of repression. The latest accusations brought against Gubad Bey show that in fact there is anger and hatred of the top of the government. The authorities not only do not draw conclusions from the calls of international organizations, but also increase the volume of accusations day by day.

What do you think is the reason for the noisy arrests that have caused international criticism in the current situation? What do you see as the way out of the situation?

I think the government of Azerbaijan should show political will here. Because there is a political will behind all these mentioned persecutions. I do not think that the isolation of the political prisoners, whom we have named or not, from the society is up to the investigative bodies and judicial authorities. These were implemented directly in accordance with the instructions of the political authorities. If there are no political openings, we should not expect legal reforms in Azerbaijan today. All this depends on the political will of the authorities, the supreme executive authority. During this one year, we see that there are countless international conflicts regarding the release of well-known political prisoners, subjects who have the opportunity to influence public opinion while they are free. There are no results related to this. It’s like there’s an inverse proportionality going on here. As for the challenges, the Azerbaijani authorities are increasing their intensity and violence, and the volume of absurd accusations. This indicates that, unfortunately, the rule of law does not exist in Azerbaijan. There is no balance between powers. Unfortunately, we cannot talk about the rule of law.

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