NEWS IN JUNE 2020
2 June
Financial Assistance to Religious Organizations
On 2 June 2020 the President of Azerbaijan signed a decree on providing financial assistance to the country’s religious structures. Funds will be allocated from the Presidential Reserve Fund in the 2020 state budget.
The Caucasus Muslims Office will receive 2 million manats;
Baku and Azerbaijan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church – 350 thousand manats;
Religious community of mountain Jews of Baku – 350 thousand manats;
Religious community of European Jews in Baku – 150 thousand manats;
Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church – 150 thousand manats;
Albanian-Udine Christian community – 150 thousand manats.
To provide material support to other non-Islamic religious communities of the country, the Propaganda of Spiritual Values Fund under the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations has been allocated 100 thousand manats.
4 June
European Court found violation of the rights of the leader of Muslim Unity Movement
Tale Bagirzade
On 4 June 2020 the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) announced a decision on the complaint of the leader of the Muslim Unity Movement Tale Bagirzade and the other six applicants of Azerbaijan.
The complaint was related to a violation of the applicants’ rights to liberty and security of person.
A lawyer Khalid Agaliyev explained that the applicants: Tale Bagirzade, Samand Mammadov, Ismail Mammadov, Eldaniz Hajiyev, Afgan Samadov, Rashad Ibrahimov and Elkhan Iskandarov complained about their unlawful arrest.
The Government of Azerbaijan agreed that the applicants’ pre-trial arrest was lengthy, agreed to pay compensation to the applicants and asked the court to withdraw the complaint from the list of pending cases. The ECtHR agreed with this.
The government of Azerbaijan will pay 3000 euros to each applicant.
Bagirzade’s complaint also related to the pre-trial arrest in the previous criminal case “on illegal possession of drugs” in 2013, when he was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
In 2015, Bagirzade was arrested during a special operation in Nardaran and sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of terrorism, an attempt to change the constitutional order, create an illegal armed group, etc.
He is recognized as a political prisoner.
9 June
Sam Brownback: “Religious freedom for all must be protected, including in employment”
Sam Brownback
On 8 June 2020 Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, tweeted:
“The U.S. is concerned by reports that, after nearly 20 years of distinguished service, Rahim Akhundov was dismissed from the Parliament of Azerbaijan due to his faith. Religious freedom for all must be protected, including in employment.”
USA concerns comes amid reports that Christians might be disciplined or dismissed for practising their faith in Azerbaijan.
Rahim Akhundov, 50, who worked at Azerbaijani Parliament, has sued his former employers for unfair dismissal in 2018.
“Judge of the Baku Administrative Court Miminat Hajibeyova did not consider the case on its merits, because she ignored the facts of human rights violation and intimidation and pressure exerted on me by the Parliament,” he recently noted on Facebook.
In 2018 that he was a victim of religious conversion. In a 2018 Facebook post, Akhundov questioned, without hinting his own case,
“To whom or which state agency the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan must address, if they are fired for their religious beliefs? If it occurs what should a citizen do? Should he/she remain silent or raise this issue?”