According to the report, there are 1000 arrested: more than 100 detainees remain in custody, and could face imprisonment of up to 12 years. ”Azerbaijan is experiencing its gravest human rights crisis of the past ten years,” according to the organization. The report is based on hundreds of interviews with victims and eyewitnesses in 13 towns and cities in Azerbaijan. The organization underlines especially the Azerbaijani police and security forces. According to the France Press, the Western diplomats confirm the condemnations of the ”Human Rights Watch”. One of them, preferring to remain unknown, told the reporter: ”People said they were being tortured through severe beatings, electric shocks, and threats of male rape”. The Human Rights Watch condemned the governments of Western countries, especially the USA, for inaction. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State made a statement about the situation in Azerbaijan last week. The official Washington urged the Azerbaijani government to speed up the investigation of cases of people arrested on October 15. ”The Azerbaijani authorities have to prove the guilt of detainees or immediately release them,” Official Representative of the Department of State Adam Erely said.
Speaking at the OSCE session in Vienna, U.S. Permanent Representative of USA to OSCE Duglas Davidson also spoke about the illegal arrests in Azerbaijan. He reminded that more that there are still more than 100 detainees. Members of the special mission presented to the President Aliyev the position of OSCE to the events. ”It was an oral confidential demarche,” a well-informed diplomatic source told Touran agency. The leaders of the organization applied to the President of France Jacques Chirak asking him to speak about the release of the editor of ”Yeni Musavat” newspaper during the official visit of Ilham Aliyev o France. The editor Rauf Arifoglu was arrested on Oactober 27, 2003.
Commenting the reaction of international organizations, the head of the cabinet of Azerbaijani President told the journalists that their opinion ”is not of an obligatory nature” but only a recommendation. Deputy Prosecutor General of the country Eldar Nuriyev said that the statements of international structures can not affect the investigation. It is known that the deputy head of the police department of Baku, General Yashar Aliyev has personally participated in beating of journalists. The journalists were demanding to punish him, but the prosecutor’s office has refused even to consider the issue. The video records possessed by the investigating bodies show that during the events of October 16 the policemen were beating even those who were not able to resist. According to the ”Echo” newspaper [Baku], ”It wouldn’t be difficult to reveal those policemen and call them to account…”
