Why we don't witness social upheavals in Armenia and Azerbaijan: Human rights activists share opinions (video)
There is not a single NGO in Azerbaijan that might oppose the government. Director of Azerbaijan “Turan” agency, Mehman Aliyev, says the authorities in his country only register NGOs that are loyal to them. Over 400 NGOs have been denied registration without legal grounds. They have already applied to the European Court of Human Rights. Unlike Azerbaijan, the registration of NGOs is much smoother in Armenia. Avetik Ishkhanyan, the Chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, could not recall a single case over the last ten years when an NGO had been denied registration. Anyway, there are no prerequisites that the laws regulating the public sector will not be toughened after Armenia’s membership to the Eurasian Economic Union, especially considering the fact that the Russian legislation considers unacceptable political activities of public organizations. The guests of A1+’s Red Bridge program remind that any social protest eventually leads to political changes. And who don’t they work in Armenia and Azerbaijan? The human rights activists explain it by the lack of free trade unions in both countries. In developing countries, grants guarantee the independence of an organization. Of course, some NGOs squander the funds, but it is wrong to regard them in the same light.
