The past few days have brought quite a bit of good news from countries we wouldn’t expect. Just yesterday, the President of Azerbaijan signed a decree to release 53 political prisoners, and scores more.
BAKU, Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev pardoned more than 100 prisoners on Sunday, including dozens of opposition politicians whose release had been demanded by Europe’s top human rights body.
Fifty-three of the 114 people pardoned were on a list of political prisoners that the Council of Europe demanded be released, Aliev’s office said in a statement.
Aliev’s decree came just four days after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe warned Azerbaijan that it must free its political prisoners or face punitive measures, including a review in the former Soviet republic’s membership on the 46-nation council.
Council officials were pressing for the prisoners to be released by April to ensure parliamentary elections scheduled for November are free and fair.
Among those pardoned Sunday were seven top opposition leaders convicted for taking part in protests following a 2003 presidential vote and sentenced to prison terms of up to five years.
Aliev was declared the winner of the 2003 poll to succeed his father Geidar. Western observers said the election was marred by fraud, and several thousand protesters marched through Baku, smashing cars and shop windows after the vote.
One of the persons released was a high-profile editor of an opposition publication named Rauf Arifoglu.
Reporters Without Borders welcomed the release of journalist and opposition leader Rauf Arifoglu after 18 months in prison. He was among 114 prisoners whose pardon by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was announced on 20 March 2005.
Arifoglu, editor of opposition daily Yeni Musavat and vice-president of the opposition party Musavat, was among 53 “political prisoners” who appeared on a list produced by the Council of Europe last week.
“One can only celebrate the fact that there are no longer any journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said. But it said, “The Council of Europe should continue to apply pressure on the Azeri authorities to achieve a lasting improvement in press freedom.
“The murder of Elmar Husseynov, editor of the opposition weekly Monitor, on 2 March 2005, has still not been solved,” it added.
Arifoglu, who was accused of organising riots that shook the country following contested presidential elections on 15 October 2003, was arrested on 27 October 2003 and held since in Bailov Prison in the capital Baku. He began a hunger strike on 9 February 2004 in protest at his imprisonment but called it off ten days later for medical reasons.
Many prominent opposition figures were among this crowd, some of which are named in this article.
Among pardoned there are the names of prominent opposition figures as Panah Huseyn, a chairman of Peoples Party, deputy chairmen of Musavat party Ibrahim Ibrahimli and Arif Hajili, secretary general of Azerbaijan Democratic Party Sardar Jalaloglu, Umid Party????????s chairman Iqbal Agazade and the leader of the Karabakh Combatants Union Etimad Asadov.
All these prisoners were arrested after October 15-16, 2003 street clashes while the government used police and army forces to usurp the power as Ilham Aliyev, the son of acting president Heydar Aliyev had lost presidential election to his main rival Isa Qambar of Musavat Party. But the results of the election were falsified calling strong international criticism and the power was usurped by Ilham Aliyev following arrests of hundreds of oppositionists.
This is a huge victory for the opposition and for political freedom in Azerbaijan, as long as this trend continues. So does the opposition have a chance against the government in the upcoming parliamentary election? It’s looking more likely.
Agency Trend reports, this opinion was expressed 18 March at international press-center, where signing of agreement about creation of coalition between the Party of People’s Front of Azerbaijan (reformers), Party “Musavat” and Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA) was held.
Agreement about participation at parliament elections by general block was signed by the chairman PPFA (r) Ali Kerimli, the head of Musavat Isa Gambar and executing duties of general secretary of DPA Akif Shakhbazov. After the procedure of signature the leaders of opposition during their talk with representatives of mass media stated, this agreement was achieved as a result of long discussions between parties. Afterwards it was declared, coalition is open for all opposition parties, public unions and intelligence, wishing change of ruling regime.
It is supposed, in the first stage individual candidates will be elected separately from three parties. Next stage envisages joining of names of party candidates into common list and their publications in specific electoral districts, where they would have more chances for success. At the point of elections to legislative body of the state, parties entering coalition.
The article is a little bit jumpy on the translation to English, but I think the point shows through. These recent political developments are very encouraging, and given the 2003 outrage at the presidential elections, we know the Azeris have what it takes to do what the Ukrainians have done.