Company Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Government-run and independent kiosks distributed government, opposition, and independent publications throughout the year. However, independent and opposition newspapers only sporadically were available in regions outside of Baku. A number of editors continued to report that government-run kiosks refused to carry their newspapers, or claimed to have sold all received copies while actually retaining many unsold copies in stock, leading some newspapers to depend on independent distributors. Gaya, the country's largest independent distributor, reported continued government harassment. The company's manager complained that some of its most profitable newsstands had been torn down arbitrarily in Baku and in regional cities in an effort to run the company out of business. By the end of October, when authorities closed the company's newsstand in the northern city of Sheki, Gaya had only 37 newsstands, of the 55 that it had at one time throughout the country. As a result, there w ... [Read More]
U.S. Assistance to Azerbaijan – Fiscal Year 2004
U.S. Treasury Department advisors also provide technical assistance to the government on budget policy and tax administration. The U.S. continues to support American exports to and investment in Azerbaijan through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Export-Import Bank. A U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) advisor assists the government with World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. TDA grants have also been signed to provide technical assistance to the State Oil Fund in asset management, to the government in developing a tourism strategy, and to restructure the state oil company, SOCAR. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
Three Russian and three Turkish television stations and radio programs are rebroadcast locally through Azerbaijani facilities and are seen and heard in most parts of the country. Radio free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America broadcast without restriction. There are no restrictions on reception of foreign stations via satellite. There is one 24-hour French language radio station in Baku and a British Broadcasting Company station that offers news programs in Russian, English, and Azerbaijani. The Government granted new broadcast licenses to a few foreign radio stations, plus several regional television stations directly under the control of the local executive commission. The Government has not acted for more than a year on the applications to broadcast of more than 10 independent broadcasters. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
Government-run and independent kiosks distributed government, opposition, and independent publications throughout the year. A number of editors continued to report that government-run kiosks refused to carry their newspapers, or claimed to have sold all received copies while actually retaining many unsold copies in stock, leading some newspapers to depend on independent distributors. Gaya, the country's largest independent distributor, reported increased government harassment. The company's manager complained that some of its most profitable newsstands have been torn down arbitrarily in Baku and in regional cities, in an effort to run the company out of business. There was no improvement in Gaya's situation by the end of the year. The availability of independent and opposition newspapers in outlying areas of the country was sporadic or nonexistent. ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Cuba is a source country for children trafficked internally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced child labor. Trafficking victims from all over Cuba are exploited in major cities and tourist resorts. There are no reliable estimates available on the extent of trafficking in the country; however, children in prostitution is widely apparent, even to casual observers. These children are sometimes trafficked into prostitution by their families and exploited by foreign tourists. Anecdotal evidence suggests that workers at state-run hotels, travel company employees, taxicab drivers, bar and restaurant workers, and law enforcement personnel are complicit in the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. Cuban forced labor victims include children coerced into working in conditions of involunt ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Baku has a recently restored Opera and Ballet Theater that offers a wide variety of performances each season; a Philharmonic Hall, where the Azerbaijani National Orchestra performs a wide repertoire of classical European, American and Azerbaijani music; and a Conservatory with 500 students. Baku has had a classical ballet company since 1908. The company performs 19th‑ and 20th‑century Russian ballet, as well as contemporary Azerbaijani ballet set to folk themes. ... [Read More]
2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Azerbaijan
There were no reports of government anti-union discrimination; however, labor disputes were primarily handled by local courts, which were widely considered corrupt. There were reports of anti-union discrimination by foreign companies operating in Baku. Most foreign oil companies did not allow union membership; however, in July free trade unions were established in one foreign company and one joint venture involving a foreign company. ... In Baku, the Government tightened enforcement on unregistered, independent newspaper vendors who mainly distributed opposition newspapers. Authorities claimed that the illegal vendors created traffic hazards on city streets. In December, the administrator for the Baku subway system prohibited the sale of opposition newspapers within the subway system; however, government-affiliated newspapers continued to be sold. The country's largest independent newspaper distributor, Gaya, did not report any new closures of its kiosks during the year. However, it was unable to reopen any of its newsstands that were torn down in 2002 in an effort to run the company out of business. Gaya reported that of the 55 newspaper stands it once operated throughout the country, it retained 36. In June, the Economic Court ruled that the 13 Gaya newsstands dismantled in Baku should be re-opened. The Baku Executive Authority appealed the court's ruling, and both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court upheld th ... [Read More]
Armenia (04/05)
Approximately 70 U.S.-owned firms currently do business in Armenia, including such multinationals as Procter & Gamble, M&M-Mars, Xerox, Dell, and IBM. Recent major U.S. investment projects include the Hotel Armenia; the Hotel Ani Plaza; Tufenkian Holdings (carpet and furnishing production, hotels, and construction); several subsidiaries of U.S.-based information technology firms, including Viasphere Technopark, an IT incubator; a Greek-owned Coca-Cola bottling plant; petroleum exploration by the American-Armenian Exploration Company; jewelry and textile production facilities; a large perlite mining and processing plant; and Jermuk Mother Plant, which produces one of the more popular brands of mineral water in Armenia. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
MEDICAL INSURANCE: The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. Please see our information on medical insurance overseas at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1470.html. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
During the year, a total of three POWs were released, one from Azerbaijan and two from Armenia.The law prohibits forced exile, and the Government did not employ it. e. Denial of a Fair and Public Trial The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, in practice, judges did not function independently of the executive branch, and the judiciary was widely believed to be corrupt and inefficient. Judges preside over and direct trials. The President appoints Supreme and Constitutional Court judges, whom Parliament confirms. The President appoints lower-level judges without confirmation. Qualifying exams for judges were administered periodically as part of a judicial reform effort; however, credible allegations persisted that judgeships were bought and sold. Low salaries for judges and lawyers increased the incentives for bribe taking and ... [Read More]
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