Dimming Prospects for Democracy in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev visited Washington to meet with the U.S. president and members of his cabinet. While Azerbaijan's oil industry is booming, recent developments indicate that political will for genuine democratic reforms is still lacking in the country. The October 2005 parliamentary elections failed to meet international standards, the murder of opposition journalist Elmar Huseynov remains unsolved, and torture in prisons continues to be endemic.

The International League for Human Rights and OSI's Central Eurasia Project cosponsored a briefing, "Dimming Prospects for Democracy in Azerbaijan," with Hajimurad Sadaddinov and Rena Nadjafzade of the Azerbaijan Foundation for Development of Democracy and Protection of Human Rights.

Location

Patterson, Belknap, Webb, & Tyler
1133 Ave of the Americas (between 43rd and 44th St.)
24th Floor
New York, New York 10036

The Open Forum speaker series aims to enhance policy debate on key issues facing Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East, and to raise public awareness of important developments in these regions. Monthly Open Forum events are held in New York and Washington, DC, and are attended by leading policymakers, scholars, NGO staff, and journalists. All events are free of charge.