Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan's human rights record has deteriorated, international rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed, saying human rights activists around the world faced pressure in 2009.
The government used defamation and other criminal charges to intimidate and punish journalists and bloggers expressing dissenting opinions, the group maintained in its annual report. New amendments to the religion law restrict freedom of conscience. Other serious problems persist, such as ill-treatment in police custody, and harassment of human rights defenders, it said.
The report said that since November 2008 at least nine independent or pro-opposition journalists and editors were convicted on criminal libel or defamation charges in Azerbaijan. In July youth activists and bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade were physically attacked and subsequently convicted.
The report noted that a February 2009 referendum on constitutional amendments abolished presidential term limits. It also recalled that in December 2008 the National Television and Radio Council banned the transmission of foreign radio stations via FM frequencies, making them accessible only through satellite receiver or the internet. In June the government introduced, but then withdrew, a draft law on NGOs that would have imposed extensive restrictions on the founding and operation of civil society groups.
It also alleged that torture and ill-treatment in custody continue to be a widespread problem and occur with impunity. The Azerbaijan Committee against Torture, an independent group that monitors penitentiary institutions, received over 90 complaints alleging torture and ill-treatment in custody.
The rights watchdog claimed that the government continues to hold a number of political prisoners, prompting the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in March 2009 to appoint a rapporteur on the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani officials and observers have repeatedly accused some international rights groups of bias.*