Amendments to the law on NGOs passed by the Azerbaijani parliament on December 17 and approved by President Ilham Aliyev on February 3 caused a major outrage in Europe. European Chief Diplomat Catherine Ashton and European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule expressed concern and urged the Azerbaijani government to remove obstacles on the path of freedom of the civil sector, especially in human rights and democracy.
Eldar Zeynalov, Director of the Azerbaijani Human Rights Center, and Rauf Zeyni, President of the Forum of Azerbaijani NGOs, emphasized that there were no reasons for Europe to worry.
Zeyni explained that the laws served to put the work of NGOs in order. In fact, the law gives local and foreign organizations the opportunity to work clearly and legally. The official believes that a biased approach to Azerbaijan has always been traditional. He pointed out that international organizations were more concerned about minor legislative issues than the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and protection of the rights of people who cannot return back home for 20 years.
Zeynalov supposes that international NGOs viewed the events as some ‘revenge’ for supporting other candidates for president in 2013 because the amendments make control over foreign organizations in Azerbaijan more strict. It will now be harder for unregistered organizations to receive foreign grants, though such organizations can still work.
Zeynalov noted that the motivation of Azerbaijani authorities was clear. He reminded that Islamists had become especially active and that some Azerbaijanis were fighting in Syria. The registry rules for religious organizations and illegal transfer of people for studies abroad re logical. In early 2011, said the expert, international organizations had taken up the idea of spreading the Arab Spring in Azerbaijan. The government is forced to be more strict in this aspect.
Amendments to the law on NGOs passed by the Azerbaijani parliament on December 17 and approved by President Ilham Aliyev on February 3 caused a major outrage in Europe. European Chief Diplomat Catherine Ashton and European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule expressed concern and urged the Azerbaijani government to remove obstacles on the path of freedom of the civil sector, especially in human rights and democracy.Eldar Zeynalov, Director of the Azerbaijani Human Rights Center, and Rauf Zeyni, President of the Forum of Azerbaijani NGOs, emphasized that there were no reasons for Europe to worry.Zeyni explained that the laws served to put the work of NGOs in order. In fact, the law gives local and foreign organizations the opportunity to work clearly and legally. The official believes that a biased approach to Azerbaijan has always been traditional. He pointed out that international organizations were more concerned about minor legislative issues than the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and protection of the rights of people who cannot return back home for 20 years.Zeynalov supposes that international NGOs viewed the events as some ‘revenge’ for supporting other candidates for president in 2013 because the amendments make control over foreign organizations in Azerbaijan more strict. It will now be harder for unregistered organizations to receive foreign grants, though such organizations can still work.Zeynalov noted that the motivation of Azerbaijani authorities was clear. He reminded that Islamists had become especially active and that some Azerbaijanis were fighting in Syria. The registry rules for religious organizations and illegal transfer of people for studies abroad re logical. In early 2011, said the expert, international organizations had taken up the idea of spreading the Arab Spring in Azerbaijan. The government is forced to be more strict in this aspect.
