The Committee to Protect Journalists has word of a workshop going awry in Geneva that was supposed to be about media freedom in Azerbaijan:
We are deeply concerned by the defiant attitude shown by Azerbaijani government representative Ali Hasanov, also an adviser to President Ilham Aliyev, at the workshop, which invalidates his stated willingness to have a constructive dialogue with critics. We are also disappointed at the failure of the EBU to publicly criticize or in any way challenge Azerbaijani authorities on their press freedom, human rights, and freedom of expression record--this has left an impression of wilful blindness toward the government's repressive policies.
A joint letter of all the Western participants can be seen here with all the complaints of bad faith on the part of Ali Hasanov, the head of the Department for Public and Political Issues at the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan— "specifically calling independent local advocacy and media-monitoring organizational representatives “inaccurate,” “non-objective,” and “oppositionist."
Well, they may be -- they are -- but that's not the point, they still need to be free and not persecuted.
The European Broadcasting Union organized this particular "constructive" dialogue -- not exactly a pillar of strength one would go to for press freedom defense, but then likely they see that as the job of something like CPJ.
I was talking today to a colleague who must have worked in 20 different conflict zones in the last 20 years, and the sense of futility human rights work can have, unless you go really small-bore and focus on little improvements or single cases.
These sorts of workshops -- my God, I've been going to them for 30 years myself, and how pointless.
We all pretend that these officials are going to act in good faith and be worthy interlocutors.
They aren't.
We all go through the motions of cranking up our indignation at their outrageousness, when they call our colleagues "hacks" worthy of jailing if they don't get the story right -- although our crank surely is getting cranky.
All of this stuff, really, is it worth it?
Well, it's good that ever-new generations of paid employees of international organizations do come forward and walk through their positions on the kabuki theater stage of outrage.
Honestly, Aliyev, when you have the whole world's attention on EuroVision because you're holding it in your capital? you're supposed to behave and at least temporarily let there be more press freedom, not crack down and behave badly.
Or hey -- or not. Because you can.
The letter complains about the fact that the government sent only officials or GONGOs and not real independents. Isn't the time to complain about that before the meeting, as a condition of its very existence? Azerbaijan needs the EBU and the fig leaf that such international meetings give way more than the EBU needs Baku.
And say, indignation about this problem seems awfully, late, too:
The failure of the EBU to publicly criticize or in any way challenge the Azerbaijani authorities on their press freedom, human rights, and freedom of expression record left an impression of wilful blindness toward the government’s repressive policies and raises questions about the EBU’s commitment to defending these values.
Wouldn't it be better not to even take part in the EBU's fandango, rather than allow it to lend legitimacy to the illegitimate? This is always the wrangle -- and I think we'd all be better off with a more clean position, saying that unless the EBU secures X Y or Z conditions for a meeting, and makes robust criticisms of the harassment of colleagues, it's off.
The government only revealed itself to be preoccupied with the same fake issues of the Soviet era, pretending that it's all about ethics or utility. We are not making progress here.
Then to add insult to injury, while an independent Azeri was supposed to be allowed to speak at the press conference, he was pushed aside by the Azerbaijani government and EBU cadres. Figures!
While I appreciate all the jazz about "concrete reform steps" at the end, the real take-home here for me is this: don't waltz around any more with the EBU or the Azerbaijani government. They have failed to show good faith and any further waltzing with them only gives them legitimacy and you lack of credibility.
