PACE EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

17:46 29.11.2012

The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, Pedro Agramunt
(Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC), visited Baku
from 26 to 28 November 2012 in order to assess the progress made by
the country towards fulfilling its obligations and commitments to
the Council of Europe.

They held talks with the President of the Republic, the Speaker of
Parliament, the Foreign, Interior and Justice Ministers, the President
of the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General, leaders of the political
parties represented in Parliament as well as representatives of
civil society. The co-rapporteurs also visited Prison No. 9 in Baku
where they met Aliyev Mamedali Dilavar and a prison medical facility,
where they met Shahin Hasanli.

During their meetings with the authorities, the co-rapporteurs
expressed concern at the recently adopted amendments to the Criminal
Code and the Administrative Code which have increased the penalties
for organisers of and participants in “unauthorized” demonstrations.

These amendments, combined with the authorities’ ongoing blanket ban
on protests in Baku city centre, are likely to have a further negative
impact on freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

Furthermore, the co-rapporteurs raised their concerns with regard
to a number of human rights defenders, activists and journalists
detained on criminal charges following trials whose conformity
with human rights standards had been called into question by some
NGOs. They urged the authorities to use all available legal tools
to release those prisoners whose detention gives rise to justified
doubts and legitimate concerns about freedom of expression as well
as the independence of the judiciary in Azerbaijan. They also called
on the authorities to release some prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress