UN Authority Figures

Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations Vice-Chair and Rapporteur: Azerbaijan

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Azerbaijan is in the list of top 10 jailers of reporters, and jailed 9 journalists as well as four activists for creating Facebook groups which posted articles critical of government corruption.
Source: Geopolitical Monitor, January 10, 2015

Mission of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: "The main tasks of the Committee are...The consideration of applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by NGOs; The consideration of quadrennial reports submitted by NGOs in General and Special categories; The implementation of the provisions of Council resolution 1996/31 and the monitoring of the consultative relationship; Any other issues which the ECOSOC may request the Committee to consider." (Committee on NGOs website)

Azerbaijan's Term of office: 2015-2018 (Vice-Chair and Rapporteur: 2015-2016)

Azerbaijan's Record on NGOs:
"Authorities at times restricted freedom of movement, particularly for civil society figures under investigation. Constraints on political participation persisted... Citing unfounded criminal charges against at least 50 independent and opposition political activists, journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders over the previous two and one-half years--including 11 arrests since May alone-- and recent restrictive laws, Human Rights Watch reported on September 29 that repression of independent voices had reached "crisis levels." The incarceration of persons who attempted to exercise freedom of speech raised concerns about authorities' use of the judicial system to punish dissent. In addition the government attempted to impede criticism by monitoring political and civil society meetings... Authorities also exerted intense pressure on the country's leading media rights advocates and organizations during the year. Internationally renowned media freedom advocate Emin Huseynov, the chair of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), went into hiding in mid-August in fear of arrest, following the detentions of three other prominent human rights advocates between late July and early August. Government harassment of the IRFS and the Media Rights Institute (MRI) resulted in the closure of the former in August and significant limitations on the latter's ability to operate." (US State Department Country Report of Human Rights Practices in Azerbaijan, 2014)

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