[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 114 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1736-E1737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            AZERBAIJAN--TIME TO FREE THE POLITICAL PRISONERS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2006

  Mrs. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, when Secretary of State Condoleezza 
Rice goes to New York for the opening of the 61st United Nations 
General Assembly she is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Elmar 
Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan. His country is becoming an important geo-
strategic player in the Caspian region and Central Asia. It has worked 
closely with the United States on the critical oil pipeline from the 
Caspian to the Mediterranean and other issues.
  There are some important obstacles to realizing the full potential of 
our strategic relationship with Azerbaijan. Of particular concern is 
the deteriorating human rights situation and the growing number of 
political prisoners in that country's jails.
  During her confirmation hearings before the Senate Committee on 
Foreign Relations earlier this year, Ambassador Anne Derse stressed the 
importance the United States attaches to freedom, democracy and human 
rights as high priorities in our relationship with Azerbaijan. The Bush 
administration's emphasis on the critical importance for nurturing 
democracy, not only in bringing freedom to people but in helping make 
this a safer world at a time of growing threat from Islamofascism, is 
of particular concern in Central Asia. Azerbaijan is a secular Muslim 
state, thus making the development of democracy, respect for human 
rights and the rule of law ever more critical in such an unstable 
region of the world.
  Azerbaijan is also an important American interest in energy and 
security cooperation. As our economic and political cooperation grow, 
our relations with Azerbaijan become more critical. Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev has spoken of his commitment to democracy but, 
unfortunately, the gap between promise and performance is widening, not 
shrinking.
  I am particularly concerned about the need for an independent 
judiciary, commitment to the rule of law and a transparent justice 
system. An alarming number of political prisoners are held in Azeri 
jails, most notably former Minister of Economic Development Farhad 
Aliyev and his brother Rafiq Aliyev (The brothers are no relation to 
President Aliyev). Farad Aliyev was arrested on trumped-up political 
charges of planning a coup, and to that was later added a charge of 
murdering the editor of Monitor magazine, Elmar Huseynov. The actual 
confessed murderer, Haji Mammadov, a former official of the Interior 
Ministry's Criminal Investigation Department, reportedly accused Farhad 
Aliyev of ordering the killing. Independent media reports demonstrate 
that the accusation is not taken seriously and believed to have been 
pushed on the killer, perhaps in a deal for a lighter sentence, as part 
of the government's desire to strengthen its weak case against Aliyev 
and eliminate a potential rival for the president.

  Mr. Speaker, I urge Secretary of State Rice to take up this matter at 
the United Nations

[[Page E1737]]

with Foreign Minister Mammadyarov and stress that the United States 
seeks assurances that all political prisoners are allowed free access 
to counsel of their choice, are safe and provided all necessary health 
care, receive humane treatment and, if it goes that far, receive a 
free, fair and public trial. More appropriately, they should be freed 
at once as a demonstration of Azerbaijan's commitment to democratic 
reform and respect for human rights and the rule of law.
  The Azeri Democracy Initiative, a non-partisan, international non-
profit organization headquartered in Washington and dedicated to 
strengthening U.S.-Azerbaijan ties on a basis of shared values, has 
joined in calling on the European Court of Human Rights to investigate 
the politically-motivated arrest of Farhad Aliyev, the reformist former 
Minister of Economic Development of Azerbaijan.
  The case before the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg was filed by 
a group of British lawyers and alleges human rights abuses. They 
pointed out that Azerbaijan, as a member of the Council of Europe, is 
legally obligated to comply with the European Convention of Human 
Rights as a condition of membership of the Council of Europe.
  Lord Lester QC, one of Europe's leading barristers on human rights 
issues, said the brothers were detained arbitrarily, put in solitary 
confinement and held ``without justification''. He has been denied 
access to the men.
  ``The Aliyev cases illustrate how far the Republic of Azerbaijan has 
to change before it can be regarded as a truly democratic state 
respecting the European rule of law and the fundamental human rights 
and freedoms of its citizens,'' Lord Lester added.
  Many members of the brothers' families, business associates and 
acquaintances have been ``harassed, arrested and persecuted following 
Farhad and Rafiq's arrests,'' according to Lucy James, one of the 
London attorneys. ``Many have been detained on trumped up charges or 
without charge'' and many have reportedly lost their jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the Secretary of State and Ambassador Derse in 
Baku to raise this critical human rights issue at the highest levels 
and call for the freedom of political prisoners.

                          ____________________