CIVIL SOCIETY SKITTISH ABOUT GOVERNMENT PLANS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAKU 001084 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM AJ SUBJECT: CIVIL SOCIETY SKITTISH ABOUT GOVERNMENT PLANS TO FUND NGOS Classified By: AMBASSADOR ANNE E. DERSE PER 1.4(B,D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: President Aliyev's July 27 decree outlining the GOAJ's new concept on NGOs, including a provision for future state funding for NGOs, triggered an immediate, negative reaction from key civil society activists. Supporters of the new plan claim that state funding will relieve NGOs from dependence on foreign funding, while critics -- including leaders of the country's most important NGOs -- argue that it will force NGOs into dependence on and control by the GOAJ. Independent NGO activists believe that state funding will be given to government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) in an attempt to force the human rights and democracy NGOs out of the picture. They also fear the new concept is part of a GOAJ plan to tighten control over civil society in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election. Noting their concerns, we believe that the best way forward is to engage the GOAJ to ensure it understands that we view strengthening civil society as key to Azerbaijan's democratic development and will press for this new concept to be implemented in a manner that supports, rather than hinders, its development. END SUMMARY SUPPORT FOR THE NEW CONCEPT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On July 27, President Aliyev issued a decree outlining the GOAJ's new concept on NGOs, including a plan for future state funding of NGOs. Three days later, Presidential Advisor for Social-Political Affairs Ali Hasanov told the press that the GOAJ plans to provide funding to NGOs in a process similar to other donors. According to Hasanov, the GOAJ will announce a project, for which NGOs can submit proposals. A "related body" will review the proposals and award the fund to an NGO which submitted a proposal "meeting the requirements" that could best implement the project. Hasanov said that the GOAJ will not interfere in the NGOs' activities, and that they will be allowed to continue their work unimpeded by the GOAJ. However, he made a cryptic comment that some NGOs "do not follow their own rules" operating, rather, as "subsidiary organizations to political parties." ¶3. (SBU) In a press interview, Mubariz Ahmadoglu, Director of the Center for Political Technologies and Innovations (a formerly independent but increasingly pro-government NGO) said that the internationals have been using NGOs to influence the "domestic process." According to Ahmadoglu, because of international financial dependence, local NGOs have never been "purely Azerbaijani," a phenomenon that he believes has been replicated among political parties and the media. Ahmadoglu believes President Aliyev has now started the process of "adoptive" democracy, which is an improvement over the "wrong path" that the country had previously been following. He thinks the President will use the new concept on NGOs with the media and political parties in the future. ¶4. (C) According to Ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) MP - and head of her own GONGO, Leader Women's Public Union - Malahat Hasanova, GOAJ support for NGOs is a positive step, and will help spur development of existing NGOs and creation of new organizations. (NOTE: In an August 10 lunch with CDA, several human rights activists complained about the increasing number and compromised interests of GONGOs, repeatedly mentioning Hasanova's organization as an example.) Parliament's Human Rights Commission Chair Rabiyyat Aslanova, a ruling party MP, told the press that state financing will "help" NGOs to be less dependent on "external sources" and will result in greater transparency of NGOs' activities. Azay Guliyev, independent MP and head of the NGO Forum, a government-affiliated coalition of NGOs, echoed Aslanova's comment that state financing would decrease NGOs' dependence on "external sources," and allow NGOs to work on projects other than those "required" by the donor organization. In addition, Guliyev said that state financing would improve relations between NGOs and the GOAJ. NGOS SKEPTICAL AND AFRAID -------------- ¶5. (U) On July 29, opposition Yeni Musavat Newspaper published interviews on the decree with Chair of the Committee to Protect Oil Workers' Rights Mirvari Gahramanli, Humanitarian Research Society Chair Avaz Hasanov, and Chair of the Bureau for the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Saida Gojamanli. All three expressed concern that state financing of NGOs is intended to bring NGOs under GOAJ control. According to Gahramanli, the new GOAJ body responsible for funding NGOs "will be no different than a department within the Presidential Apparat." She believes that this new concept is part of the GOAJ's preparations for BAKU 00001084 002 OF 003 the 2008 presidential election. Hasanov said that this is the GOAJ's way of making NGOs legally dependent on the government. He noted it was "unfortunate" that rather than helping NGOs, which the GOAJ now has the capability to do, it has decided to take away their independence. Gojamanli is afraid that the fund will be directed towards "NGOs" that are already "close" to the government, not the human rights defense organizations, and will not further civil society's development. ¶6. (C) According to Director of the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety and youth activist Emin Huseynov, the GOAJ's plan to fund NGOs is its attempt to control civil society, "just like Russia." He believes that the GOAJ will issue grants primarily to GONGOs, while increasing restrictions on other organizations. According to Huseynov, the President's issuance of the decree indicates that the GOAJ has started its pre-election activities. Similarly, Murad and Rena Sadaddinov, the husband and wife team behind the Azerbaijan Foundation of Democracy Development and Human Rights Protection, said that the concept of state financing is "nonsense." According to the Sadaddinovs, this is a scheme designed to strengthen the GONGOs, that will leave democracy-defending NGOs to seek foreign assistance. They believe that this is the GOAJ's attempt to "buy off" civil society before the 2008 presidential election, and that we can expect further similar actions in the run-up to the election. ¶7. (C) Arzu Abdullayeva, head of the Azerbaijani branch of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, thinks the idea behind the decree is positive, and likely a result of international pressure for the GOAJ to spend its oil money well and to fulfill its commitments with NATO, the Council of Europe, and other international organizations. However, she also fears that the GOAJ will funnel support only to the GONGOs, which will become stronger, effectively "launching a campaign" against the human rights defenders. This campaign, she continued, has already begun; according to Abdullayeva, her office has been receiving a large number of odd phone calls. Some are from individuals living in Russia or Turkey calling to complain that Abdullayeva and other prominent human rights activists ignored their cases years ago (as far-back as the early '90s),and threatening to make their complaints public. Other calls are from journalists from pro-government newspapers, asking specific questions about projects and funding from foreign sources, dating back to the NGO's creation. Abdullayeva believes this is connected to NGO Forum head (and MP) Azay Guliyev. ¶8. (C) According to Azerbaijani Committee against Torture head Elchin Behbudov, the GOAJ's new NGO concept was designed by Azay Guliyev to make human rights defenders dependent on the GOAJ; NGOs that do not "agree" with the GOAJ will not receive funding, placing them in a difficult position. Behbudov fears that the GOAJ could take the next step of prohibiting foreign- and international-funding of NGOs, which he says would "eradicate" Azerbaijan's human rights defense organizations. He explained that many human rights defenders are already afraid of being arrested for their work: "If they can do it to the journalists, they can do it to all of us." Behbudov described a constant pressure, stating "We know we are being watched, even my kids can feel it;" he said that his phones are tapped and his office computer has been hacked into. Behbudov concluded that for human rights activists, conditions are worse now than during Soviet rule. (NOTE: In a May 29 meeting, Institute for Peace and Democracy Director Leila Yunus told Poloff the same thing, stating "In Soviet times, they could arrest us. Now they can shoot us.") COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Given the strong pressure that the GOAJ has exerted on independent media over the last 18 months, civil society activists are increasingly anxious that they too will face pressure and restrictions on their activity in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election. This new decree, coupled with persistent rumors that a draft law tightening registration requirements for NGOs will be submitted to Parliament, has only added to their worries. Noting these concerns, we will engage the GOAJ immediately at all levels to underscore the Secretary's NGO principles and ensure the GOAJ understands that we view civil society as key to Azerbaijan's democratic development, and believe that this new concept should be implemented in a way that supports, rather than hinders, its development. ¶10. (C) We will meet Presidential Political Advisor Ali Hasanov and Presidential Chief of Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev BAKU 00001084 003 OF 003 immediately and also will develop recommendations for addressing this issue further in our democracy dialogue. USAID is also looking at the possibility of providing technical support through its existing civil society capacity-building project to try to mold this initiative into an approach that transparently supports and empowers civil society. We will lay out our expectations explicitly and be prepared to cease cooperation should it become clear that the government is not interested in pursuing serious reforms. We also plan to raise the GOAJ's new concept in the context of the OSCE's Human Dimension Group to gauge international reaction and devise a multilateral approach to engage the government on this and broader civil society issues, as we have on media. ¶11. (U) Below is the unofficial Embassy translation of the decree. Decree of the President of the Azerbaijani Republic Affirming the Concept of Governmental Support to Azerbaijan's Non-Governmental Organizations. The process of modernization and democratization of relations between the state and citizens' institutions over the last several years makes it necessary in the state's interest to intensify the activities of non-governmental organizations. In order to accelerate the development of civil society, to create a reliable and effective system of mutual relations between the governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations, and to increase the importance of non-governmental organizations in solving the state's and society's problems, I have decided: ¶1. To affirm the concept of governmental support of the Azerbaijani Republic's non-governmental organizations ¶2. To charge the Presidential Executive Office with: 2.1 Within two months, presenting to the President of Azerbaijan a proposal regarding the creation of an agency to handle the issues of non-governmental organizations and an aid fund for non-governmental organizations 2.2 To thoroughly supervise implementation of the government's concept to provide support to Azerbaijan's non-governmental organizations and regularly report about it to the President 2.3 Within its power, Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers shall resolve problems regarding advancement of this Decree 2.4 This Decree is in effect from the publishing date. DERSE