Azerbaijan: Allow Peaceful Protests
On May 21 at 1pm in the Azarbaijani capital Baku, two peaceful protests were broken up by the authorities. Many protesters were beaten by police as they were dragged into waiting buses. The city, which is the current host of the Eurovision Song Contest, had made a public promise to grant freedom of speech to performers, fans and foreign journalists. However, this liberty was not extended to local activists.
Azerbaijan is party to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty which requires the state to respect the right of assembly and refrain from engaging in ill-treatment of protesters.
These activists had the right to protest peacefully and should not have been violently dispersed by the Azerbaijani authorities. The government should uphold its obligations and show Azerbaijan to be a respectable and modern country. This must not happen again. To make sure it doesn't, please sign and share this petition.
To The Government of Azerbaijan
Recent reports of mistreatment of peaceful protesters by the Human Rights Watch demonstrate that Azerbaijan is not upholding the European Convention on Human Rights. This treaty allows peaceful protesting and prohibits ill-treating those who participate in such events.
We, the undersigned, think that it is abhorrent that a state that presents itself as modern suppresses its people and prohibits freedom of speech. Azerbaijan is in the public eye this week as the host of the Eurovision Song Contest. Everyone is watching and no one wants to see that human rights abuses are being committed by the authorities themselves. We ask you to prove that your country is modern and democratic by allowing peaceful protests.
Thank you for you attention.
