AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS ON GOVERNMENT OF AZERBAIJAN TO IMPROVE LIVING CONDITIONS OF REFUGEES AND IDPS

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 28 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend E.Huseynov / In its report (Amnesty
International Report 2007), Amnesty International calls on the
Government of Azerbaijan to improve the living conditions of internally
displaced people who suffered as a result of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries erupted in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia
occupies 20% of Azerbaijani lands, including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts. Since 1992 to the present
time, these territories have been under Armenian occupation. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
( Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

"Restricted rights for the people displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict continue to have their freedom of movement restricted by
a cumbersome internal registration process linking eligibility for
employment and social services to a fixed place of residence.

Although there was progress in moving the displaced out of temporary
shelters and providing housing, many new purpose-built settlements were
located in remote and economically depressed areas. People re-housed
in these settlements face a lack of jobs and access to basic services
such as education and health care," stated in the report.

The report says that the rights to freedoms of expression and
assembly were restricted. Police routinely used force to disperse
demonstrations. Opposition journalists were attacked, imprisoned or
fined on criminal defamation or dubious drug-related charges.

Opposition politicians were denied rights to due process and reportedly
in some cases medical care and access to legal counsel of their
own choosing.

No progress was made in investigating the murder in 2005 of newspaper
editor Elmar Huseynov, widely believed to have been killed because of
his criticism of political corruption. Criminal defamation proceedings
were brought against several individuals and newspapers.