ArmInfo.The Azerbaijani Exiled Civic Coalition (AZEX), represented by the Institute for Human Rights (IHR) and the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS), condemns the Azerbaijani authorities for completely fraudulent presidential elections held on February 7, 2024, and calls for new and fair elections.
As stated in the statement received by ArmInfo,the AZEX coalition monitored the voting process remotely using surveillance cameras, which were installed in 20% of all active polling stations. For the first time in the history of remote surveillance, a complete mute of the sound of surveillance cameras was recorded, which made remote audio surveillance impossible, thanks to which in previous elections it was possible to record a lot of indirect audio evidence indicating violations at the polling stations. For about 40% of all surveillance cameras, the viewing angle was deliberately shifted away from the most significant areas where violations could be recorded.
The muting of sound on all cameras and deliberately distorted viewing angles indicate that the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission deliberately tried to minimize the remote collection of audio and video evidence of violations on voting day. The facts of pressure on independent journalists and observers who tried to film "anomalies" during the voting also indicate that the current authorities tried to cover up massive violations, such as: "carousels" (voting of the same people at several polling stations) and mass tossing ballots to ballot boxes.
"Unfortunately, only 1,000 of the country's 6,319 polling stations were equipped with video cameras, which did not allow remote documentation of all violations that occurred during voting and vote counting," said AZEX co- chairman Emin Huseynov.
"Analysis of video surveillance from polling stations where cameras were installed revealed significant falsifications in inflating turnout in almost all polling stations. Considering that even under surveillance cameras, those responsible for conducting fair elections managed to carry out obvious frauds, it becomes obvious that similar violations in polling stations not equipped with cameras were many times greater," concluded Huseynov.
AZEX considers the assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission, voiced by its representatives at the final press conference, to be insufficiently critical and comprehensive in relation to the existing glaring shortcomings in the organization and conduct of elections.
AZEX considers the work of the short-term observation mission to be insufficiently transparent, which did not announce the full list of short-term observers, namely representatives of which countries, structures and political forces they were.
AZEX considers hypocritical the behavior of short-term observers of the OSCE/ODIHR, who refused to show solidarity with their fellow short-term observer, member of the Swiss Parliament Nik Gugger, who, due to his membership in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was deported from Azerbaijan in a rude and demonstrative manner, despite his accredited status observer from the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan and the possession of a Swiss diplomatic passport.
The obvious refusal to answer a direct question from the French channel France 24 regarding the non-admission of the observer to Azerbaijan demonstrates the cowardice of the observation mission, which obviously did not want to upset the Azerbaijani authorities with its answer.
AZEX also considers the congratulations of OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid to Ilham Aliyev unethical against the backdrop of massive repressions against civil society and independent media taking place in the country, as well as numerous violations, including those documented by observers from the OSCE/ODIHR.
It was surprising and questionable to witness the apparently hasty congratulations to Ilham Aliyev from the President of the European Council Charles Michel, given that the European Parliament expressed strong unity in refusing to participate in election observation.
Despite the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities have denied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe its legal right to observe the elections in Azerbaijan, AZEX calls on PACE at its upcoming session to provide an advisory assessment of the anti-democratic actions of the Azerbaijani authorities and demand that they unquestioningly fulfill the country's commitment to the Council of Europe.
AZEX believes that holding elections 15 months earlier than originally planned is due to the desire of the Azerbaijani authorities to use the opportunity to host the UN COP-29 climate summit in the country in November this year to strengthen the international legitimacy and reputation of the current President Ilham Aliyev, who has been in power more than 20 consecutive years, and intends to rule in Azerbaijan for the next 7 years at least.
AZEX calls on UN member countries to give an objective assessment of the situation with human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan, and not to allow the current authorities of the country to extract political dividends from such a large-scale event as COP-29 in the country.
