MARCH 27 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijani officials opened an investigation into the US vote monitoring group the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for distributing grants without the correct registration, media reported. The authorities in Azerbaijan have been cracking down on media and rights groups ahead of an election next year.
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(News report from Issue No. 129, published on March 29 2013)
MARCH 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan needs to stop clamping down on civil society and instead allow freedom of expression, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, Nils Muiznieks, told Reuters. Mr Muiznieks said the Azerbiajani authorities have not yet followed through on their promises to protect human rights.
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(News report from Issue No. 128, published on March 22 2013)
MARCH 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A Baku court jailed the editor of an independent newspaper for nine years for extortion. Police arrested Avaz Zeynally, editor of the Khural daily, in October 2011 after a parliamentarian from the ruling party alleged that he had asked for a bribe. Mr Zeynally’s supporters say the charges have been made up.
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(News report from Issue No. 127, published on March 15 2013)
MARCH 10 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Human rights groups heavily criticised the Azerbaijani authorities for using rubber bullets and tear gas to break up an unsanctioned rally in central Baku. Hundreds of people had gathered to protest the death of three conscripts who allegedly committed suicide. Media reported no injuries at the rally.
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(News report from Issue No. 127, published on March 15 2013)
MARCH 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Although probably not wholly unexpected, the IMF’s assessment of Azerbaijan’s economy was still relatively blunt.
Instead of increasing public spending the Azeri authorities need to reduce government expenditure while improving its efficiency, as well as enhancing the business climate in general, media quoted Raja Almarzoqi, head of the IMF’s mission to Azerbaijan, as saying.
Like other energy-rich former Soviet states — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for example — Azerbaijan’s economy is heavily tilted towards cash earned from gas and oil.
Most of Azerbaijan’s energy-fuelled growth has occurred over the last decade. Now the government wants to boost other sectors of the economy and has promised various cash injections.
But the IMF said this strategy comes with risks.
According to Bloomberg news agency, Mr Almarzoqi cut straight to the point. “The 2013 budget is expansionary and creates overheating risks,” he said.
He backed up this statement with figures. Public spending and a significant increase in the non-energy economy will nearly double Azerbaijan’s GDP growth to 4.5% in 2013. Inflation, though, will also increase to 7% from 1.1% last year.
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(News report from Issue No. 127, published on March 15 2013)
MARCH 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar plans to issue a $1b Eurobond by the end of the year to fund various upstream and downstream projects, media quoted company president Rovnag Abdullayev as saying. This will be the second Eurobond issue by Socar following its $500m issue last year.
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(News report from Issue No. 126, published on March 8 2013)
FEB. 22 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s parliament passed a law limiting the sale of religious books and videos, media reported. Parliamentarians justified the restrictions by insisting they were necessary to reduce the inflow of extremist propaganda. Religious items now have to be vetted and can only be sold in designated shops.
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(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 22 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s parliament passed a law limiting the sale of religious books and videos, media reported. Parliamentarians justified the restrictions by insisting they were necessary to reduce the inflow of extremist propaganda. Religious items now have to be vetted and can only be sold in designated shops.
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(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A pro-government party offered a $13,000 reward to anybody who cuts off the ear of novelist Akram Aylisli. The threat was quickly retracted but the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused pro-government factions of intimidating Mr Aylisli because his new novel is sympathetic towards Armenia, which fought Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A pro-government party offered a $13,000 reward to anybody who cuts off the ear of novelist Akram Aylisli. The threat was quickly retracted but the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused pro-government factions of intimidating Mr Aylisli because his new novel is sympathetic towards Armenia, which fought Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)