civil society

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Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s new morality police

by Sabina Abubakirova

•6 min read

New police units are to be created in Baku with the aim of fighting ‘cases contradictory to public morality’, especially sex-work. Critics say that this may be a cover for further state interference with independent social and political life. On 2 September, Report.az cited Elshad Hajiyev, the chief spokesperson of the Baku City Main Police Department, as saying that ‘to strengthen the fight for morality and against behaviour contrary to the national mentality’, new specialised police u

(Mockup pictures credit: Orkhan Ata/E&M, Meydan TV)

amnesty

Opinion | Cosmetic touch-ups won’t break Azerbaijan’s cycle of crisis

by Arzu Geybulla

•5 min read

In a country in need of far more profound reforms, cosmetic changes simply won’t do. The Azerbaijani government must address the underlying issues instead of buying time with occasional raises and lip-service amnesties. Three years ago, when Azerbaijan’s economy tanked as a result of a global fall in oil prices, a wave of protests swept across the country. From Siyazan, through Lankaran, Fuzuli, to Aghsu, people called on the authorities to reduce inflation and address price hikes and

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s paralysed civil society

by Kamran Mahmudov

•5 min read

Over the past six years, Azerbaijan’s civil society has deteriorated on all fronts. As the government continues to interfere with the activities of NGOs, prosecuting human rights defenders and political activists alike, banning them from travelling abroad, and freezing their bank accounts, the sector has become paralysed. Akif Gurbanov has headed the Institute for Democratic Initiatives since its founding in 2013. The Baku-based group was created by a group of lawyers and other public fi

Afgan Mukhtarli

Opinion | The EU Parliament makes it clear — no deal for Azerbaijan unless it improves its rights record

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•4 min read

The European Parliament, the EU’s elected representatives, have made clear they will not ratify a deal with Azerbaijan unless it improves it’s human rights record. The European Commission should now follow through with a clear message — Azerbaijan’s crackdown on dissent must end and political prisoners freed. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 4 July, reiterating its commitment to strengthening ties with Azerbaijan, but not at the expense of human rights. In fact, parliam

activism

Georgia’s ‘war against the people’ and the war against a ‘system that stinks’

by Dato Parulava

•9 min read

Georgia, a country where every third prisoner is serving time for drugs, may be about to transform its strict drug policy into a far more liberal system. Activists and reformers are hoping that new legislation could change Georgia’s system away from what they call ‘the war against the people’. On 15 September 2016, a 46-year-old man slashed his own stomach outside the Georgian Government Chancellery, where dozens had gathered to protest the country’s drug policy. He claimed police had terro