The United States is troubled by reports of police violence during the campaign leading up to Azerbaijan’s November 6 parliamentary elections and is urging the government of Azerbaijan “to show extra creativity and flexibility” in finding ways to allow people to exercise their right of assembly, U.S. Ambassador Julie Finley said October 20, addressing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria.
“Democratic elections, freedom of media and freedom of assembly, before and after the elections, are critical to the future of Azerbaijan,” she underlined.
Finley said that a free and fair election means not only demonstrated freedom and fairness on Election Day, but also “demonstrated freedom and fairness throughout the election process, which includes the lead-up.”
The United States remains “troubled by reports of police violence during unauthorized demonstrations in Baku on October 9, as well as by reports that police have detained up to 300 political activists -- including up to 20 candidates,” said Finley, the permanent U.S. representative to the OSCE.
Noting that international human-rights standards prohibit a government from abridging the right of the people to assemble peaceably, she urged the government of Azerbaijan “to show extra creativity and flexibility in finding ways that allow the people to exercise their right in Baku and elsewhere.”
“In this regard, we call on both sides to resume the dialogue that is necessary to achieve this goal,” she added.
Referring to an interim OSCE report on the election campaign, Finley said she also wanted to highlight “evidence that �some executive authorities are intervening in the campaign in favor of certain candidates and in some cases have interfered with the electoral process.’"