Could it be? Is Azerbaijan finally becoming like Europe?

Of course not, but it did sound nice didn't it?! 

As I was reading the new issue of TIME (September 26, 2011) I came across an article titled "Irked about perks. Italians are growing tired of picking up the check for their pampered politicians" by Stephen Faris reporting from Rome.

I thought it was ironic, given the resemblance of the situation in oil rich Azerbaijan. As Azerbaijani higher echelons made of ministers, president's closest aid and their families enjoy "opulent life styles" with lavish holidays, extravagant spending, luxury homes and dachas, Azerbaijani people are fed the one very simple line- "Azerbaycan xalqin rifahi gunden gune artir" ("Azerbaijan's well- being grows day-by-day).

Italian politicians lack any evidence of sobriety, just like Azerbaijani ruling elite. Any criticism is dismissed though finally Azerbaijani authorities did at least accept the fact that there is corruption. Not that it has done anything about it except to dismiss few government employees and civil servants here and there. Did that end corruption? Of course not. Did that end or at least vaguely cover up the lavishness? Of course not!

Take Azerbaijani National Parliament for instance. Does living conditions outside of the parliament impact Azerbaijani parliament members' daily lives? Do any of them bother arguing for improving life standards of average citizens? Do they even care to begin with? We all know (yes and that includes pretty much every single international institution or representative present in the country and abroad) that Azerbaijan failed to have democratic elections in the last, what, some 20 years now. And that pretty much every single person sitting in that parliament is a useless sack of potatoes (no offense for those who actually do things).

And yet, when it comes to Italy, people protest, they are fed up, while in Azerbaijan silence of millions of lambs continues at its usual pace. Behold, you shall not speak or utter a word because unlike Italy, Azerbaijani authorities are not so keen and enthusiastic about giving up "la dolce vita".

And now, its time to crush NGOs

So, I was meaning to write a post about recent developments in Azerbaijan, but I was putting it off, first because I was traveling and then because I got robbed and the feeling of anger, annoyance, fright, and everything that comes with the robbery that takes place while you are asleep in your own house and someone you don't know breaks in, walks around your house as if it was theirs was slightly putting me off but now, a day later after the robbery, though I am still very angry and annoyed by what happened I shall do what all bloggers do- despite my feeling of being stripped off my identity- write and spill out everything.

Last week, while I was in Baku, the most shocking (though I shouldn't be, as by now I shouldn't get surprised when these things happen) news broke out- the government of Azerbaijan was changing legislation on NGOs. And these were not some minor changes, these were changes that might end existence of NGOs in Azerbaijan, well, apart from those that are in "partnership" with the government (the devil himself).

The international as well as local reaction was full of disappointment, anger, frustration. During the NGO forum held on 18th of June, an outraged NGO employee shouted at Rauf Zeyni, the head of the NGO forum, that was sitting at the round table "Because you are a coward! You don't have an NGO" when he offered to refrain from drastic actions such as no negotiations with the government on this issue. 

While, international actors claim the importance of NGOs as a tool in implementing democracy, the government thinks otherwise. What seems like a path of serious limitation on freedom began with the strict control over political parties, then existing media outlets (with of course the most scandalous news of closure of foreign radio stations) and now NGOs. According to Novella Jafaroglu, this step taken by the government is simply because "NGOs were able to do and to say something. These organizations had the opportunity to travel, to lobby and tell the world of what was going on in Azerbaijan. So the government knowing NGO activity decided to cut NGO rights in fact given to us by our own constitution, simply because the government is not responsible to anyone". 

According to the new legislation:

- not only the registration of NGOs is going to become a lot harder (than it already is), but the new changes also impede ban on the activities of local as well as international NGOs;

- it outlaws the activities of NGOs that have more than 50% of foreign funding;

- NGO activity could not begin until its fully registered (which takes at times months);

- an NGO won't be able to have a foreign national as its director or a founder;

- if an NGO was closed based on the court decision for law violations, the founder gets a five year ban on founding another NGO

and many other troublesome new changes.

According to Ekrin Gadirli, the co- founder of Republican Alternative (REAL)"the proposed changes contravene basic freedoms- association, expression, assembly". Isa Gambar, leader of one of the opposition parties in Azerbajan also stressed during the same forum the limits the government was trying to put on the civil society movement in the country. "We need to be able to say "NO" to the government" exclaimed opposition leader at the end of his speech.

It should be come as no surprise that restriction on NGO funding, will seriously undermine their effective work. On this note, in his speech at the NGO forum the head of the Economic Research Center, Qubad Ibadoglu, said, these changes will worsen the NGO activity especially given new financial restrictions. According to the available data for 2008, the total number of NGO employees and volunteers stands at 222,000 and a total 15 million dollars of financial assistance was rendered to NGOs by foreign donors in the same year (in comparison with 1.19 billion dollars received by the government of Azerbaijan from the foreign sources). This remains an insignificant number when compared to another ex- Soviet country- Hungary- which has around 57.000 NGOs (Azerbaijan has 2.500 officially registered NGOs) whose grant turnover is 3.5 billion EUR per year. 

The discussion was postponed to be held at the National Parliament on June 30th according to Turan news agency (http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1368&Itemid=42)