Appeal of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders to national authorities, civil society on the ground and international organizations

On November 13-14, 2010, human rights defenders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia gathered in Tbilisi to participate in the conference organized by the Human Rights Centre within the framework of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders- “For Your and Our Freedom.”  This conference was a follow-up to the July conference “Improving Protection of Freedom of Expression, Assembly and Association in the South Caucasus: What Needs to be done“, organized by Article 42 and HRIDC, both members of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders, funded by the EU. 

The two conferences focused on the rights and freedoms, which are instrumental for developing active citizenship and participatory democracies. Participants discussed the state of their protection in their respective countries.
On the 13th of November in particular, the members of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders, together with other national and international organizations, discussed the strategies of strengthening security as well as effectiveness of human rights defenders’ work.  On the 14th of November conference participants focused on the cases and patterns of politically motivated persecutions, including the cases of politically motivated arrests in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia.
Participants also agreed to create a regional working group of experts to agree upon a set of criteria for identifying cases of political prisoners, taking into consideration definition adopted by the PACE Resolution dated by 26.01.2004 on Azerbaijan and other definitions used by other human rights groups,  to study individual cases of alleged political prisoners, identify patterns or persecution, and advocate for their right to a fair trial, also advocate for putting an end to politically motivated persecutions and imprisonment in the above-mentioned countries.
Participants of the conference agreed upon the following recommendations:
Authorities of their respective countries to:
- Comply with their obligations and commitments in the field of fundamental freedoms and human rights, particularly their own Constitutions, as well as international instruments – European Convention on Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

- Bring their existing legislation strictly in line with European Convention on Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and abstain from adopting the laws which set national human rights standards lower than as accepted in  international human rights law,

-  Take all necessary measures to create an enabling environment for human rights defenders, NGOs and the broader civil society in their countries,
The human rights community and the broader civil society in their respective countries to:
• Increase solidarity and coordination among each other, as well as strategic planning of their activities, both at the national and regional levels,

• Put a stronger emphasis on fact-based advocacy, collection and thorough analysis of data,

• Conduct joint monitoring, reporting and preparation of publications with the regional focus,

• Strengthen human rights education programs for a broader public. 

• Intensify the use and contacts of international and regional media to reach out to a wider public. Work with new media to reach out directly to different target groups.

Council of Europe to:
- Urge member states - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia - to comply with their obligations and commitments in the field of fundamental freedoms and human rights, in particular to protect human rights defenders from harassment, discrimination and other forms of persecutions and   take all necessary measures to create an enabling environment for human rights defenders, NGOs and the broader civil society. 

• To call Azerbaijan to issue invitation to the Council of Europe Special Reporter on the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, Mr. Strasser and call upon the PACE to also focus on the cases of political prisoners in Georgia, Armenia and Russia.

• Consider appointing  a Special Rapportour on the situation of human rights in the Caucasus to cover, among other issues, the situation in conflict zones,
• Committee of Ministers to take active steps to ensure that member states comply with the decision of the European Court on Human Rights, and take effective measures against those – who fail to do so.

• Call upon the European Court on Human Rights to give priority to consider cases, where serious allegations exist that persons have been harassed and charged based on political motives in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia. 

OSCE to:
• Give priority to the protection of human rights defenders in the member states, particularly through strengthening its support for and the mandate of the ODIHR Focal Point on Human Rights Defenders,

• Adopt guidelines on human rights defenders, particularly focusing on the duties of members states to protect defenders at risk and to take concrete measures for creating an enabling environment for HRDs in their respective jurisdictions, 

• Consider establishment of country review system, similar to Universal Periodic Review in the UN, 

• Strengthen their help and support to individual Human Rights Defenders and NGOs in the member states, including, but not limited to financial support.

EU to:
• Closely monitor implementation of the EU guidelines and the relevant country strategies in the third counties, and ensure that a broad spectrum of HRDs and NGOs in the respective countries are given the possibility to be actively engaged in the process. 
• Call upon the member states to issue multi-entry visas for HR defenders,

UN to:
• Strengthen its monitoring and follow-up on the implenentation at the national levels of the recommendations issued by its respective bodies.

• Continue and strengthen support to the Special Reporter on Human Rights Defenders.

To member states of the European Union
- Do not give economic support to countries, which have not implemented the ECHR decisions and Where people are persecuted and imprisoned based on political motives.

Undersigned:
Armenian Helsinki Association (Armenia)
Article 42 of the Constitution (Georgia)
Asparez, Journalist Club, Gyumri region (Armenia)
Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights (Georgia)
Human Rights Center (Azerbaijan)
Legal Education Society (Azerbaijan)
Human Rights Center (Georgia)
Helsinki Assembly, Vanadzor (Armenia)
Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK) (Armenia)
Women´s Resource Center (Armenia)