Akifa Aliyeva is the coordinator of the Ganja branch of the Helsinki Citizen's Assembly, Azerbaijan National Committee (HCA Ganja). The organisation, based in the western part of Azerbaijan, was established in 199 and covers eleven regions. The organisation aims to promote peace through mutual understanding and dialogue between conflict countries, to guarantee that people's human and social rights are protected, to ensure that all people understand their rights according to national and international laws and to promote and support an active and engaged democratic civil society. Akifa Aliyeva defends and lobbies for the rights of less well-off citizens, for example war victims, IDPs, refugees, disabled people, soldiers and national minorities who often receive little help from anyone else.

The HCA Ganja office is the only organisation operating in the western part of Azerbaijan and does serious work protecting human rights, fighting against torture, developing civil society and peace-building in the southern Caucasus. HCA Ganja is very active in civil society development and with its intervention the organisation has made many achievements. Akifa Aliyeva faces opposition to her work from the government and has received numerous threats as well as being subject to intimidation and surveillance by government bodies.

"In Soviet times, I was always active in national activities. But in January 1990, when the Soviet Army cruelly shot 300 innocent people in the streets of Baku, I, in a sign of protest, went before the city’s administration. Before my fellow members of the Communist Party, of which I had been an active member for 16 years, I made my voice heard. Azerbaijan gained independence in October 1991 and in 1992 war started between Azerbaijan and Armenia because Armenia occupied 20%territory of Azerbaijan. Military action, from 1992 to 1994, took place 30 to 40 kilometers from Ganja. During the entire time, my large family and I voluntarily welcomed soldiers and provided them moral and physical support. In addition to providing assistance to the injured, I witnessed death and suffering. My soul grew to hate war. Despite the difficult circumstances, I vowed to become a peacemaker.

From 1993 to 1998, I worked as an instructor in the epidemiology hygiene group at the Defense Ministry. In that time I could not remain indifferent to the evidence of injustice, corruption, and violence. I began to work to protect the rights of soldiers. In 1998 I attended the seminar on “Women-leaders and Politics.” There I met Arzu Abdullayeva, the chairman of the National Committee of Azerbaijan, part of the Helsinki Civil Assembly. Aware of my human rights work, Ms. Abdullayeva offered me the position as Head of the Ganja branch of the NCA. In that transitional period, there were a great number of problems for the city and the branch. Crime was one of many problems, which provoked a strong mass reaction against it. Soon the organisation numbered 360. Also in 1999 I organised an active protest, the first in the Republic, demanding normal provisions of electricity and gas in our city. 350 women participated and the protest would result in positive changes.

From 1999, I took an active part in all elections. In Azerbaijan’s 2003 presidential election, I obtained the release of 17 representatives of the opposition party’s election commission, unjustly held by the police. In 2005 parliamentary elections, I, as a voter and observer of legal election procedures, successfully campaigned for the election results in 38 of the Ganje-Hizami electoral districts to be thrown out. This was a huge success for the organisation. The determined and persistent activity of the Ganja NCA has roused anger in certain levels of power. As a result, members of our organisation, my family and myself included, were subject to repression. Both my son and I have even been charged in criminal cases.

From 1999, after we obtained the elimination of faulty election results in one district, in the 2005 parliamentary elections we received threats.We were offered large bribes to be silent. Rumors circulated claiming that the organisation closed, or we were deported from the country. One of the worst threats was in October of 2004 after I participated in meetings discussing the creation of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Our office building was attacked. The national television station presented me and my organisation as a national enemy, and for months I was subjected to various forms of oppression. In May of 2006 on the eve of the repeat parliamentary election, a criminal case was filed against me in order to limit my participation in the repeat elections. As it became clear, the accusations were clearly based on false evidence and I was released. But in April 2007 in a similar method my son was held by the traffic police. None of this was reported. They brought charges against him, and jailed him for 3 days. Ultimately, he too was released. In order to guarantee his safety, my son was forced to move, and since June he lives in Baku. In answer to my complaint regarding these activities, the prosecution notified me that I too was charged with a criminal case. The threats do not stop, and most frightening, the leadership of Azerbaijan, attempts to impede my work in the creation of civil society. They subject me, my closest colleagues, and family to inexpressible oppression."