Azeri pressure group condemns media campaign against rights activist

Turan news agency, Baku
12 Jun 04

Baku, 12 June: The federation of Azerbaijani human rights organizations
has condemned the Azerbaijani authorities for continuing the policy of
persecution against rights champions. The “authorities-controlled”
media and NGOs have recently launched a campaign against the
Azerbaijani coordinator of the international working group for
releasing POWs and hostages and for tracing missing persons, Avaz
Hasanov. The reason for the campaign was his trip to Nagornyy Karabakh.

Hasanov is being threatened and false reports are being circulated
about his Armenian captivity and recruitment by the Armenians. The
pro-government media is quoting Hasanov’s telephone conversations
with his colleagues. They are telephoning him at home and threatening
him. On 10 June a group of young people burst into Hasanov’s office
and threatened him with murder both verbally and in writing.

This smear campaign has been arranged and is being performed by those
who earlier organized attacks on other rights champions – E. [Eldar]
Zeynalov, Z. [Zaliha] Tahirova and L. [Leyla] Yunus. The statement
said that the campaign was launched under orders from “certain circles
in the Azerbaijani government”.

The aim of the campaign is to paralyse human rights activities and
bring them under the monopoly of “patriotic” organizations. All this
is happening while the country’s official circles are continuing to
speak to the Armenians and participate in joint projects and events.

The federation of Azerbaijani human rights organizations condemns
the campaign against Avaz Hasanov and calls on political parties, the
media, NGOs and state officials not to be involved in “the propaganda
show by the irresponsible circles”, the statement said.