Azerbaijan: Another Opposition Paper, Party Under Pressure for “Back Rent”

Days after the government's suspension of broadcasts by an independent television and radio station, along with the eviction of an opposition party and pro-opposition media outlets from their offices in downtown Baku, Azerbaijan's State Property Committee has initiated court proceedings against another opposition newspaper for failure to pay its rent.

The Hurriyyat newspaper, a publication financed by the opposition Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA), has been in print since 1992. The DPA has a long history of disputes with the government. On the eve of the November 2005 parliamentary elections, law enforcement officials claimed that DPA Chairman Rasul Guliyev, a former parliamentary speaker who has been granted political asylum in the United States, was working in collusion with government officials to overthrow President Ilham Aliyev. [For background see the Azerbaijan: Elections 2005 website].

In an interview with EurasiaNet, State Property Committee spokesperson Gulu Khalilov stated that the Committee decided to take Hurriyyat to court to collect overdue rent on a building near Baku's May 28 subway station. The building has been occupied by the DPA and Hurriyyat since 1992. Khalilov declined to answer additional questions about the case.

The Committee maintains that Gurban Mammadov -- a co-founder of Hurriyyat who rents the building the newspaper and the DPA occupy -- owes the government $2,700. In a November 30 interview, however, Mammadov stated that the newspaper owes the State Property Committee $700. The amount would be paid "right now." in exchange for a new lease, he continued. The Committee has not renewed an earlier lease, which expired in 2004, Mammadov said. "We have a little debt, and we're ready to pay it, but after signing a new contract."

Representatives of the State Property Committee have said that they will consider the question after court hearings on their rent claim are complete. The court has not yet registered the case for a hearing. In response, Mammadov has filed a suit against the Committee in the same court, Azerbaijani Economic Court No. 1, alleging that the Committee refused to prolong his contract because Hurriyyat is an opposition newspaper.

The dispute follows on the heels of the November 24 suspension of broadcasts by independent television and radio station ANS, and a November 25 court ruling to evict the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the country's largest opposition political party, and a series of pro-opposition media outlets and non-governmental organizations from their offices in a building in downtown Baku. [ For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The eviction prompted sharp criticism from the international community, and has raised concerns about respect for freedom of the press in Azerbaijan.

In a November 27 statement, US Department of State spokesperson Tom Casey said the ANS broadcast recent moves against independent media outlets indicates that "the government is seriously impeding the ability of independent journalists to work in Azerbaijan." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Saying that Washington "is concerned by the government of Azerbaijan's moves to limit press freedoms," Casey called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's administration to permit "all three media outlets to continue operations while negotiations on regulatory and licensing compliance are resolved."

Responding to such concerns in a November 29 interview with state television channel AzTV, President Aliyev dismissed as groundless fears that the government is attempting to squash critics. "[F]reedom of the press is present in Azerbaijan