Early parliamentary elections and the current socio-political situation in Azerbaijan were discussed on December 13 at a meeting of the head of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NSDS) of Azerbaijan, Professor Jamil Hasanli and representatives of the US Department of State.

The meeting was attended by: Alan Purcell, assistant secretary of state for human rights and democracy, Grant Morrow, head of the Bureau for Caucasian and Regional Conflicts, and Wendy Silverman, from the Human Rights Bureau, Hasanli told Turan.

During the meeting, Hasanli noted that the institution of elections in the country could hardly be called such, since citizens are virtually excluded from participating in the election process, and it is completely falsified. This is confirmed by the OSCE / ODIHR estimates of the presidential and parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan over the past 10 years. According to the OSCE / ODIHR observation mission, the level of irregularities in the 2013 presidential election covered 58% of polling stations. The 2018 presidential election, according to the OSCE / ODIHR, also did not reflect the will of the people of Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan is on the eve of early elections, which are held by election commissions for 16 years, rigged elections. The Electoral Code is subordinate to the interests of one political group and one family. The appeals of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, as well as the National Council and other opposition bodies to create at least the minimum conditions for democratic elections were ignored. That is why the National Council boycotts the February 9 elections,” Hasanli said. He also pointed to the depressing situation in the country with human rights and the presence of political prisoners.

Hasanli also drew attention to the facts of the creation of “torture laboratories” in the country, where law enforcement agencies beat out confession statements from opposition activists. The human rights activist Ogtay Gyulalyev, who made these facts public, was the victim of a car accident and is in a coma.

There are 120 political prisoners in the country, half of whom are believers, eight are members of the Popular Front Party, and the rest are young activists, bloggers, representatives of the media and civil society. According to Hasanli, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the prosecutor’s office got out of constitutional control, and the courts became a political tool in the hands of the authorities.

The institution of the Bar is destroyed when human rights defenders are removed from work. Very soon, those arrested for political reasons will be left without protection. “The regime’s efforts will have devastating consequences, and growing anger and hatred can lead to unpredictable consequences,” Hasanli said. The country has serious problems with freedom of the press, freedom of expression. Civil society is destroyed, independent and opposition media are destroyed, and alternative sources of information are blocked. All these violent steps are aimed at preventing the growing social and political activity of people.

During the meeting, the chair of the National Council also touched on the issue of corruption. He noted that under the current regime, the mechanism of corruption in the country has covered all areas of economic, financial, social and even political life has become a way of governance. According to him, in recent years, corruption scandals have hit the image of Azerbaijan, and the bribery of foreign officials and members of parliament has been aimed at concealing human rights violations, denying the presence of political prisoners and stopping the disclosure of election fraud.

Hasanli expressed regret that some American diplomats, former ambassadors to Baku, are now lobbying for the interests of the ruling regime of Azerbaijan and undermining the authority of the United States. In conclusion, Hasanli recalled a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the application of the Magnitsky Global Law and expressed the hope that human rights violators in Azerbaijan would not be left out of this law.