"La copertura mediatica internazionale della violazione [dei diritti umani] ha mostrato al mondo come l'Azerbaijan abbia qualcosa di molto vergognoso da nascondere". Questo è solo uno dei passaggi del duro comunicato trasmesso da Amnesty International in merito al "crudo tentativo di creare una zona libera da critiche attorno ai Giochi Europei, tramite l'incarcerazione e l'intimidazione dei critici e bannando giornalisti internazionali e organizzazioni dei diritti umani".
Nella nota trasmessa dall'organizzazione internazionale si legge come "almeno 20 prigionieri di coscienza siano attualmente in carcere per aver semplicemente criticato o sfidato il governo. Ad Amnesty International stessa - si legge - è stato impedito l'accesso all'Azerbaijan per redarre un nuovo rapporto".
"Nonostante gli eventi olimpici aspirino alla diffusione dei valori di rispetto, diversità e mutua comprensione, e si supponga debbano lasciare un'eredità a livello ambientale, società ed economico che possa cambiare una comunità, una regione e una nazione per sempre - prosegue la nota - il CIO ha fallito in questo. Il COE e la maggioranza dei Comitati Olimpici che hanno partecipato hanno altresì fallito nel condannare la violazione: solo i Comitati Olimpici tedesco e svedese hanno sollevato pubblicamente delle condanne in merito alle violazioni dei diritti umani come commesse dalle autorità azere".
Il duro comunicato di Amnesty International cita due importanti organismi internazionali - Consiglio d'Europa e ONU - che hanno adottato risoluzioni e condannato il comportamento azero. "L'unica maniera per ribaltare quel che sembra un'eredità seriamente corrotta di questi Giochi Europei è che le autorità pongano fine a queste violazioni nei confronti di Organizzazioni non governative indipendenti, accettando la libertà d'espressione e rilasciando immediatamente e incondizionatamente i critici, imprigionati con false motivazioni" - chiosa Denis Krivosheev - Deputy Programme Director per l'Europa e l'Asia Centrale di Amnesty, il cui ultimo pensiero va ai Comitati Olimpici Internazionale, Europeo e nazionali: "Mettiate fine a questo silenzio assordante in merito alla violazione dei diritti umani durante i Giochi Europei di Baku e sommiate la vostra voce a quella di quanti già hanno parlato di cambiamento".
LP
Il comunicato stampa di Amnesty International
Azerbaijan must immediately and unconditionally release all government critics unfairly imprisoned if the European Games are to leave a positive legacy, Amnesty International said today ahead of the closing ceremony on Sunday.
A human rights crackdown in the run up to the Games saw journalists, lawyers, youth activists and opposition politicians harassed, intimidated and jailed on trumped-up charges by the repressive government of President Ilham Aliyev.
“The crude attempt to create a ‘criticism free zone’ around the Games by jailing and intimidating critics and banning international journalists and human rights organisations, has backfired severely,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Programme Director for Europe and Central Asia.
“International media coverage of the crackdown has held a mirror up to Azerbaijan and showed the world that the country has something very shameful it wants to hide.”
At least 20 prisoners of conscience are currently in jail merely for criticizing or challenging the government. On 10 June, two days before the opening ceremony, Amnesty International was barred from entering the country to launch a new report. The following day it emerged that journalists from the Guardian, Radio France International and German broadcaster ARD had also been banned.
Olympic events claim to embrace the values of respect, diversity and mutual understanding. They are also supposed to create a “unique set of environmental, social and economic legacies that can change a community, a region, and a nation forever”.
Despite widespread media coverage of Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record, the International Olympic Committee – the body responsible for upholding these values – has failed to speak out. The European Olympic Committees and the vast majority of national committees with teams taking part have also failed to condemn the crackdown. Only the German and Swedish Olympic Committees have raised concerns publicly about human rights violations carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities.
However, this week two important intergovernmental bodies have condemned the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. On Tuesday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution, calling explicitly for the release of wrongfully detained activists and civil society leaders in Azerbaijan.
Then on Wednesday, the UN’s Human Rights Council released a statement supported by 24 European states and the USA, expressing concern about the “shrinking of space for civil society and freedom of expression in Azerbaijan” and calling for an end to the crackdown.
“What started as a domestic crackdown on dissent ahead of the Games became an orchestrated attempt to evade all international scrutiny as international media and NGOs were banned. If the Azerbaijani authorities have learned anything from the negative media coverage of their human rights record, it should be that banning NGOs and media is not good PR. They must stop locking up, harassing and intimidating people who challenge or criticize the government,” said Denis Krivosheev.
“The only way to reverse what looks set to be a seriously tainted legacy of these Games is for the authorities to stop the crackdown on independent NGOs, allow freedom of expression and immediately and unconditionally release government critics imprisoned on false charges. International, European and National Olympic committees must also end their deafening silence on the human rights crackdown around the Games and add their voices to those who have spoken out for change.
Nella nota trasmessa dall'organizzazione internazionale si legge come "almeno 20 prigionieri di coscienza siano attualmente in carcere per aver semplicemente criticato o sfidato il governo. Ad Amnesty International stessa - si legge - è stato impedito l'accesso all'Azerbaijan per redarre un nuovo rapporto".
"Nonostante gli eventi olimpici aspirino alla diffusione dei valori di rispetto, diversità e mutua comprensione, e si supponga debbano lasciare un'eredità a livello ambientale, società ed economico che possa cambiare una comunità, una regione e una nazione per sempre - prosegue la nota - il CIO ha fallito in questo. Il COE e la maggioranza dei Comitati Olimpici che hanno partecipato hanno altresì fallito nel condannare la violazione: solo i Comitati Olimpici tedesco e svedese hanno sollevato pubblicamente delle condanne in merito alle violazioni dei diritti umani come commesse dalle autorità azere".
Il duro comunicato di Amnesty International cita due importanti organismi internazionali - Consiglio d'Europa e ONU - che hanno adottato risoluzioni e condannato il comportamento azero. "L'unica maniera per ribaltare quel che sembra un'eredità seriamente corrotta di questi Giochi Europei è che le autorità pongano fine a queste violazioni nei confronti di Organizzazioni non governative indipendenti, accettando la libertà d'espressione e rilasciando immediatamente e incondizionatamente i critici, imprigionati con false motivazioni" - chiosa Denis Krivosheev - Deputy Programme Director per l'Europa e l'Asia Centrale di Amnesty, il cui ultimo pensiero va ai Comitati Olimpici Internazionale, Europeo e nazionali: "Mettiate fine a questo silenzio assordante in merito alla violazione dei diritti umani durante i Giochi Europei di Baku e sommiate la vostra voce a quella di quanti già hanno parlato di cambiamento".
LP
Il comunicato stampa di Amnesty International
Azerbaijan must immediately and unconditionally release all government critics unfairly imprisoned if the European Games are to leave a positive legacy, Amnesty International said today ahead of the closing ceremony on Sunday.
A human rights crackdown in the run up to the Games saw journalists, lawyers, youth activists and opposition politicians harassed, intimidated and jailed on trumped-up charges by the repressive government of President Ilham Aliyev.
“The crude attempt to create a ‘criticism free zone’ around the Games by jailing and intimidating critics and banning international journalists and human rights organisations, has backfired severely,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Programme Director for Europe and Central Asia.
“International media coverage of the crackdown has held a mirror up to Azerbaijan and showed the world that the country has something very shameful it wants to hide.”
At least 20 prisoners of conscience are currently in jail merely for criticizing or challenging the government. On 10 June, two days before the opening ceremony, Amnesty International was barred from entering the country to launch a new report. The following day it emerged that journalists from the Guardian, Radio France International and German broadcaster ARD had also been banned.
Olympic events claim to embrace the values of respect, diversity and mutual understanding. They are also supposed to create a “unique set of environmental, social and economic legacies that can change a community, a region, and a nation forever”.
Despite widespread media coverage of Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record, the International Olympic Committee – the body responsible for upholding these values – has failed to speak out. The European Olympic Committees and the vast majority of national committees with teams taking part have also failed to condemn the crackdown. Only the German and Swedish Olympic Committees have raised concerns publicly about human rights violations carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities.
However, this week two important intergovernmental bodies have condemned the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. On Tuesday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution, calling explicitly for the release of wrongfully detained activists and civil society leaders in Azerbaijan.
Then on Wednesday, the UN’s Human Rights Council released a statement supported by 24 European states and the USA, expressing concern about the “shrinking of space for civil society and freedom of expression in Azerbaijan” and calling for an end to the crackdown.
“What started as a domestic crackdown on dissent ahead of the Games became an orchestrated attempt to evade all international scrutiny as international media and NGOs were banned. If the Azerbaijani authorities have learned anything from the negative media coverage of their human rights record, it should be that banning NGOs and media is not good PR. They must stop locking up, harassing and intimidating people who challenge or criticize the government,” said Denis Krivosheev.
“The only way to reverse what looks set to be a seriously tainted legacy of these Games is for the authorities to stop the crackdown on independent NGOs, allow freedom of expression and immediately and unconditionally release government critics imprisoned on false charges. International, European and National Olympic committees must also end their deafening silence on the human rights crackdown around the Games and add their voices to those who have spoken out for change.
Riproduzione riservata ©
