US Congress hearing to take place on human rights situation in Azerbaijan

On September 15th, a US Congress hearing organized by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will take place on the current situation of human rights in Azerbaijan. The hearing is titled, “Azerbaijan: Do Human Rights Even Matter?”

President Barack Obama delivers a health care address to a joint session of Congress at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

According to the announcement posted on the

humanrightscommission.house.gov

, “Since 2014, the Azerbaijani government, led by President Ilham Aliyev, has intensified a crackdown on dissent, rounding up journalists, political opposition, religious activists and members of civil society.”

The announcement mentions that US – funded organizations such as Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) had been recently ejected from the country.

The hearing is being called in the run up to the September 26th Constitutional Referendum on the Azerbaijani constitution, which aims to increase the presidential term from five to seven years, to lower the age limit of potential presidential candidates from 35 to 25 and to introduce the offices of Vice President and Second Vice President in Azerbaijan.

Parliament deputy, Shamsaddin Hajiyev,

in a recent interview with Radio Azadliq,

said that the installation of “the vice presidency is a change aimed at improving the institutional basis of administration. This is a transfer of power…the president will no longer handle certain questions personally, but they will be delegated to the newly formed institution.”

The hearing will examine the United States’ current relationship with Azerbaijan, and will “raise serious questions for and about U.S. policy toward the country.”

Several witnesses will be called to speak at the hearing, including renowned Azerbaijani journalist, Khadija Ismayilova (investigative journalist for RFE/RL), Turkel Karimli, who is the son of the chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, in addition to former Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Kauzlarich.

The hearing will begin at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, and will be broadcasted live from Washington

on the Human Rights Commission’s website

via YouTube.

On September 14th, the Council of Europe was approached by Azerbaijani political activists, who requested that the

CE review the proposed changes to the Azerbaijani constitution.