At UN in Geneva, Becket Fund accuses Azerbaijan of persecuting MuslimsMar 29, 2004 March 29, 2004 At UN in Geneva, Becket Fund accuses Azerbaijan of persecuting Muslims
Imam jailed for defending freedoms of all Azeri religions The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty today accused the government of Azerbaijan of violating the rights of Muslims who have been worshiping in the Juma Mosque in Baku since the fall of the Soviet Union. In a statement (PDF format, 101K) delivered before a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Becket Fund attorney Emilie Kao accused Azeri government officials of persecuting the Juma Mosque Community, "a staunchly independent, peaceful Muslim congregation which declines to register with the Soviet-era Muslim Caucasus Board." The government "arrested the mosque's leader, Imam Ilgar Ibrahimoglu Allahverdiev last fall on unsupported charges of preaching anti-government sermons," and is now attempting to seize the mosque and turn it into a carpet museum, Kao said. Allahverdiev was put on trial a week ago, after 115 days of incarceration, with "a simple goal: to silence him for vigorously defending the freedoms of all Azeri religions, including Christians as well as Muslims," Kao declared. The Becket Fund is advising the Juma Mosque Community on Azerbaijan's obligations under international law. The country is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its First Optional Protocol, and Kao urged the Human Rights Commission to call upon the Azeri government "to honor its commitments by releasing Imam Allahverdiev and ensuring that the mosque continues to be used as a sacred place of worship." In addition to its role as a UN-recognized non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status, The Becket Fund defends the free expression of all religious traditions throughout the world, and in the courts of the United States. It has represented Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Zoroastrians and Native Americans. Its academic affiliate, The Becket Institute, is located at St. Hugh's College, Oxford. Relevant Cases
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