OSCE is Concerned about Sentencing the "Eni Fikir" Activists in Azerbaijan

Said Nuri, activist of the "Eni Fikir " ("New Thinking") youth organization, who is under a suspended sentence of five yours in prison in Azerbaijan, has called the sentence on his companions-in-arms unfair, noting that the court hearing was conducted with violations of the law. According to him, the organization activists intend to go on hunger strike in protest against the sentence.

In her turn, Leila Unus, a human rights activist, declared that the young people who had been convicted are prisoners of conscience rather than political prisoners, because they had been arrested for a crime which they never committed. In this connection she intends to address international mechanisms.

On 12 July the court found guilty Ruslan Bashirly, leader of the organization, and his deputies Ramin Taghiev and Said Nury, under CC article 278 ("Attempt of violent seizure of power"). Ruslan Bashirly was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment, Ramin Taghiev to 4 years, while Said Nury got a suspended sentence of 5 years of imprisonment with a 3 year probation period. Thus the court accepted the prosecution arguments to the effect that the "Eni Fikir" movement intended a violent seizure of power in Azerbaijan. In order to prove the claim, the judge listed testimonies of witnesses and video records.

Notably, the sentence was announced in the absence of lawyers who had not been invited to attend. "The authorities of Azerbaijan use courts for persecuting and revenging their political opponents," is maintained in the declaration of the Popular Front Party of 12 July devoted to the conviction of leaders of the "Eni Fikir" youth organization.

"By way of convicting "Eni Fikir" activists, the authorities strive to intimidate young people and force them to refrain from fighting for democracy and their rights. All this demonstrates that courts in Azerbaijan serve as a mechanism for punishing political opponents," says the PPFA.

The US embassy in Azerbaijan and the Baku office of OSCE also expressed concern about the turn of the judicial investigation on the case of "Eni Fikir" activists.

The court proceedings over "Eni Fikir" leaders started on March 31, 2006. The charge was based on a secret video recording made in Tbilisi during the meeting of Bashirli with two persons, one of whom allegedly represented Armenian secret services. He gave Bashirli $ 2000. Later this incident was used by the investigation for accusing Bashirli of cooperation with Armenian intelligence service.

The investigation simultaneously tried to justify accusations against the Norwegian embassy, the US National Democratic Institute and even Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former adviser on national security for the US President, in briefing "Eni Fikir" members on the seizure of power in Azerbaijan. These charges, however, were not substantiated.

In their turn, the defendants and their lawyers claimed that the incident is a provocation of the Azeri secret services for the purpose of discrediting opposition on the eve of parliamentary elections. The lawyers pointed out that the mere fact of receiving money from foreign citizens is not a crime.