Assembly highlights Azerbaijan's intransigence on Karabakh process

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) submitted testimony to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe-U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing entitled "The Security, Economic and Human Rights Dimensions of U.S.-Azerbaijan Relations," reported the Assembly.

While the Helsinki Commission pointed out Azerbaijan's membership in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its current chairmanship of the Council of Europe (COE), the Helsinki Commission highlighted the fact that "Azerbaijan has been consistently criticized for its undemocratic elections and its use of the judicial system to punish political opponents."

The Commission's hearing on Azerbaijan's slide away from democracy is the second in as many years. Last year, the Assembly also submitted testimony to the Helsinki Commission's briefing on the growing authoritarianism in Azerbaijan, wherein the Azeri ambassador to the U.S. attempted to dispute the Assembly's right to testify on behalf of the Armenian American community, some of whom emigrated to the U.S. after the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad. The Assembly's testimony made clear that, since the last hearing on Azerbaijan, "it is difficult to point to any substantial progress made."

The latest hearing largely sidestepped the Nagorno Karabakh conflict negotiations, Azerbaijan government's bellicose rhetoric, and the escalation of violence along the Karabakh and Armenian border.

In its written testimony, Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny highlighted Azerbaijan's intransigence regarding the Nagorno Karabakh peace process as evidenced by its continued ceasefire violations and ongoing rhetoric against Armenia and Karabakh, and specifically voiced the Assembly's "support [for] the inclusion of Nagorno Karabakh in the direct talks."

In addition, Ardouny called the Commission's attention to these key areas of concern, including "Azerbaijan's destruction, confiscation and conversion of churches, including the well documented eradications of Christian Armenian heritage in the region of Nakhijevan."

The Assembly's testimony also called on the Commission to "examine in detail [the murderer Ramil] Safarov scandal and its human rights implications for international law as well as its impact on regional security and its consequences for conflict resolution." Ardouny pointed out that "in an effort to improve its image and 'translate its immense oil wealth into political support,' Azerbaijan has become one of the top 10 foreign spenders on lobbying in the United States."

Commission Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) opened the hearing, calling attention to Azerbaijan's violent crackdown on opposition groups, NGOs, and activist bloggers and journalists. Cardin said he was "concerned," particularly with Azerbaijan's presidential election last fall which he said "fell short of international standards." On May 30, Cardin issued a statement about the harassment, arrest, and detainment of human rights activists Layla Yunus and her husband Arif. In addition, Cardin and Commission Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith (D-NJ) issued joint statements on May 6 criticizing the Azerbaijan government for their "attack on civil society." Cardin and Smith, as well as Commission member Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) were present at today's hearing. All three have traveled to Baku within the last year.

The hearing, held in the Senate Russell office building, featured in person testimony from Eric Rubin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State, Tom Melia, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Department of State, Miriam Lanskoy, Director for Russia and Eurasia, National Endowment for Democracy, and Brenda Shaffer, Visiting Researcher, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown University.

Rubin and Melia discussed a range of issues, citing a litany of human rights abuses, cases of false imprisonment, and government corruption by the Azerbaijan authorities. "These are not the kinds of actions the United States or the broader international community wants to see from a partner, an OSCE participating State, and currently the chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe," Melia said.