Azerbaijan Denies Religious Freedoms to Armenian Minority

July 13, 2007

Washington, DC - The Armenian Assembly yesterday expressed serious concerns
over Azerbaijan's attempts to restrict basic rights and freedoms for
minorities and called on Congress to urge Baku to thoroughly investigate the
deliberate destruction of Armenian headstones in the medieval cemetery of
Julfa in 2005.

In testimony submitted for a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing,
entitled "Ideals vs. Reality in Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy: The
Cases of Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Egypt," the Assembly denounced Azerbaijan's
lack of effort to develop a civil society based on the rule of law.

"This regime has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance for free speech and
free press by regularly resorting to violence and arbitrary judicial
practices," the Assembly stated in its testimony. "It also restricts the
most basic rights and freedoms of its citizens, including those of ethnic
and religious minorities, in particular members of the Armenian minority,
who are routinely harassed and intimidated."

The Assembly also expressed grave concern over Azerbaijan's failure to
condemn an Azeri military officer who brutally murdered an Armenian
participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military training exercise in
Hungary in 2003. Rather than ensure that justice is served, Azerbaijan's
National Democratic Party has awarded the individual the title of "Man of
the Year."

With respect to the destruction of the Julfa Cemetery, the Assembly noted
that the Azeri military was captured on film destroying the centuries-old
Armenian headstones of the Julfa Cemetery in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan. The
Assembly likened the action to the 2001 destruction of the statues of the
Buddha by the Taliban in Afghanistan and noted that Baku has rejected
fact-finding missions to Julfa, and has refused to investigate the matter
itself.

Additionally, the Assembly called attention to the troubling reports by the
Azeri media that the Armenian cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in
Baku may be demolished, converted to a mosque, or used for some other
purpose. The Assembly urged Congress to undertake measures to preserve the
church and ensure the protection of ethnic and minority rights.

Turning to Azerbaijan's military expenditures, the Assembly highlighted that
the country is one of the world's most rapidly militarizing regimes, having
increased its spending from $141 million to $900 million in the past three
years.

"We remain concerned that the rapid military escalation by Azerbaijan not
only poses a threat to democratic development and human rights, but also to
regional stability and security," the Assembly explained. "We therefore,
urge this Subcommittee and Congress to implement policy measures that will
bring about a de-escalation of tensions in the region, as well as foster
greater respect for human rights."

Jennifer L. Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, testified at
yesterday's hearing and stated that: "The [Azeri] regime has been able to
effectively utilize its enormous petrol wealth to further consolidate its
control over society."

In her prepared testimony Windsor described Azerbaijan as "a
hydrocarbon-dependent quasi-dynasty," and noted that "Azerbaijan's sorry
record on democracy and human rights...are well documented in the State
Department's annual human rights reports."

The hearing, which was presided over by Subcommittee Chair Rep. Bill
Delahunt (D-MA), also included testimony from Morton H. Halperin, Ph.D,
senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Frank Calzón,
executive director for The Center for a Free Cuba.

The Assembly's testimony yesterday marked the fifth of this year before
Congress. The Assembly testimonies have focused on a broad range of issues,
including Genocide and the Rule of Law, U.S. Policy in the South Caucasus
and appropriations funding, the Darfur Accountability Act, the State
Department Human Rights Report, as well as human rights in Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.
 

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Editor’s Note: Below is the full text of Executive Director Bryan Ardouny’s
testimony, which was submitted to the subcommittee on July 12, 2007.

Testimony by Bryan Ardouny

Executive Director, Armenian Assembly of America

Before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and
Oversight

Committee on Foreign Affairs

U.S. House of Representatives

July 12, 2007

Chairman Delahunt,

Ranking Member Rohrabacher,

Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee,

The Armenian Assembly of America commends the Subcommittee for its decision to
hold a hearing on U.S. policy toward select regimes violating human rights,
including Azerbaijan.

As part of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan has benefited from the region’s
growing importance to U.S. national interests. At the same time, Azerbaijan has
come under serious criticism by governments and NGOs alike for its human rights
practices, and its lack of effort toward developing a civil society based on the
rule of law. According to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception
Index, Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking
130th out of 163.

In addition, Azerbaijan has never held a democratic election, as documented
recently by the Freedom House country report on Azerbaijan, and has in fact
transitioned towards a hereditary autocracy. This regime has fostered an
atmosphere of intolerance for free speech and free press by regularly resorting
to violence and arbitrary judicial practices. It also restricts the most basic
rights and freedoms of its citizens, including those of ethnic and religious
minorities, in particular members of the Armenian minority, who are routinely
harassed and intimidated. In a continuing assault against independent media, a
number of journalists and editors have been arrested, beaten and tortured in
2006, for criticizing the government. One of these cases has resulted in a
fatality.

The Azerbaijani government has also consistently failed to condemn Ramil
Safarov, an Azeri military officer who in 2003 brutally murdered an Armenian
participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military training exercise in
Budapest, Hungary. Instead, it has encouraged domestic media and various
organizations to treat the murderer as a celebrity. That individual has since
been awarded the title of “Man of the Year” by Azerbaijan’s National-Democratic
Party.

The arbitrariness and defiance with which the Azerbaijani regime has treated its
citizens for years has only intensified with the regime’s access to a new source
of wealth – oil revenues. The commissioning of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and its
associated infrastructure has enabled Azerbaijan to experience an unusual influx
of wealth generated by oil and gas production and exports. That wealth, however,
has not translated into meaningful benefits for ordinary citizens. Rather than
address the country’s economic and human development needs, including critical
gaps in healthcare, education and the social sector, enormous resources have
been directed toward the procurement of equipment and other hardware for the
military and security services, resulting in a dramatic increase in restrictions
on political and civil liberties, and a surge in war rhetoric against Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh.

In just the past three years, Azerbaijan has become one of the world’s most
rapidly militarizing regimes, having increased its military expenditures between
2004 and 2007 by an unprecedented 638 percent from $141 million to $900 million
(6.31 percent of its GDP in 2006). During this same period, the Azerbaijani
military was captured on film destroying Armenian headstones of the Old Jugha
(Julfa) Cemetery ¬¬¬– a medieval architectural ensemble of rare cultural and
historic value. This action, which took place in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, and is
reminiscent of the destruction of the statues of the Buddha in Afghanistan by
the Taliban in 2001, was the latest in a series of outbreaks of vandalism at the
cemetery, with earlier incidents recorded in 2002 and 1999. To date, Azerbaijan
has denied requests by European and international inter-governmental
organizations and NGOs to conduct a fact-finding mission to Julfa, and has also
refused to investigate this incident itself.

The destruction of the Julfa Cemetery also raises serious concerns regarding
other remaining historical monuments, including the Armenian cathedral of St.
Gregory the Illuminator in the center of Baku. To date, the Azerbaijani media is
awash with proposals to demolish the cathedral, convert it to a mosque, or use
it for some other non-religious purpose. In the meantime, according to
eyewitness accounts published in the media, “tourists arriving in Baku take
pictures of the burnt walls of the Armenian Church and the garbage near them.”




Respect for human rights and freedom of expression are fundamental values. As a
leader on the world stage, the United States can and must do more to ensure that
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are upheld. We therefore urge
this Subcommittee to press the Azerbaijani government to ensure that a thorough
investigation into the destruction of the Julfa site takes place. We also remain
concerned that the rapid military escalation by Azerbaijan not only poses a
threat to democratic development and human rights, but also to regional
stability and security. We therefore, urge this Subcommittee and Congress to
implement policy measures that will bring about a de-escalation of tensions in
the region, as well as foster greater respect for human rights. Finally, we urge
this Subcommittee to undertake measures to ensure the protection of ethnic and
minority rights, and in particular the preservation of the Armenian cathedral of
St. Gregory the Illuminator.