Azerbaijan Musavat Party's appeal to world media

We call your attention to the statement by the opposition Musavat Party issued on the threshold of trials against Azerbaijan opposition leaders:

A number of leading international organizations and democratic institutions still continue to focus attention on these facts: the ruling party in Azerbaijan managed to rig totally the 15 October presidential elections and to seize power again. As is widely accepted, the October poll that installed Ilham Aliyev as president was marred by violence as riot police clashed with opposition supporters, who accused the government of rigging the election. Thousands of demonstrators on the streets of the capital Baku faced a singular cruelty of the regime and exposed to acts of repression. Thereafter, proceedings were instituted against hundreds of citizens who were accused of disturbance. A great number of members and supporters of the opposition Musavat Party had to lose their job places because of political identity. Much noteworthy is that on October 16 Hamidaga Zahidov, an activist of the said party, were beaten and killed savagely by police in the clashes. The latter Azerbaijan regime, bewaring of culmination of the events set in the Republic, also repressed opposition leaders to keep its grip on power. Scores of media personalities have been among those who were subjected to acts of repression and suffered physical indignity. This fact alone marks a low standard of the independent mass media in Azerbaijan. Not only local democratic institutions but also influential international organizations have unequivocally committed to paper stating that how severely all arrested citizens continue to undergo torture in prison. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in a winter session adopted a Resolution on the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, criticizing conduct of poll. In addition to series of main demands and release of citizens who had been displeased with the election results, the Resolution called for holding court in a fair manner. Nevertheless, authorities, which seized power failed to fulfill this requirement and ordered to start trials that went down in Azerbaijan's history as the "Court of the XXI Century."

14 trials constituted against the criminal case related to the 15-16 October events have recently come to the end. 118 persons have been sentenced to illegal imprisonment, 33 of which have been sentenced to three through six year- term of imprisonment and 85 have been released under suspended sentence respectively. At the same time, no judgment for a defendant has been declared so far. No legal actions have been taken against the persons acting on part of plaintiffs and whose names defendants have submitted to court. Moreover, no comprehensive investigations are carried out to find a guilty side in the death of Mr Zahidov. All these disgraceful facts once more reveal the essence of the court system and prove that it functions at the order of the ruling regime.

The following opposition leaders will go on trial some day soon: Arif Hajili and Ibrahim Ibrahimli, deputy leaders of the Musavat Party, Rauf Arifoglu, editor-in chief of the newspaper Yeni Musavat, Serdar Jelaloglu, chief secretary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP), Penah Huseynov, leader of the Azerbaijan Peoples' Party, Igbal Agazade, chairman of the Umid Party, and Etimad Esedov, chairman of the Karabakh Invalids Society. There is no doubt that this court like previous ones will be biased as well. Currently, the Republic's citizens concentrate attention on this judicial proceeding. Given deep interest in the trial, a variety of public and political institutions, as well as intellectuals have appealed to the country's leadership to conduct it in a larger courtroom. It is hard to believe that authorities will satisfy this demand. Nevertheless, even if this demand is satisfied and the juridical proceeding is held in a larger courtroom, it is unable to satisfy sufficiently the demand of the public. Wide sections of the population are eager to gain wider access to the trial. And, this interest can be only met in case the media covers it much more widely. Previous legal proceedings show that the local media ? and notably the on-line one (except a few independent and opposition media outlets) - either have been reluctant to show interest in such trials or covered the processes unilaterally. It has been attended with the independent activity of the Azerbaijan press under the yoke and pressure of the ruling power.

Therefore, by appealing to the world leading media outlets, we would like to ask to support the publication of such event, which is sure to become an important page in Azerbaijan's history and the dissemination of this information to both - local and world community. Your concern and attention would be tremendous support to the fight of Azerbaijan democracy that continues its activity through pressure and acts of repression.

8 April 2004, Baku