The last two months have brought hope for some improvement in the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, said the well-known human rights organization Amnesty International.
On April 19 the Azerbaijani authorities finally allowed the former prisoners of conscience Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus to travel to the Netherlands for treatment, and they finally reunited with their daughter Dinara.
Before that, in accordance with a decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on March 17, 10 prisoners of conscience were released: Members of the youth movement NIDA Rashadat Akhundov, Rashad Hasanov, Omar Mamedov and Mamed Azizov; defenders Rasul Jafarov and Anar Mammadov Gilal Mammadli, as well as opposition activists Yadigar Sadigov, Siraj Karimov, and Tofig Yagublu.
Human rights activist and journalist Tal Hasmamedova and a journalist Rauf Mirkadirov were also released, they were in prison on politically motivated charges.
On March 28 was released Intigam Aliyev, a known human rights lawyer and critic of the government. He was arrested in August 2014, and in April 2015 he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on fabricated charges of tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship and abuse of power.
Despite the fact of the release of 11 prisoners of conscience and the abolition of the ban on travel for Leila and Arif Yunus are wonderful news, in Azerbaijani prisons still remain seven prisoners of conscience. Amnesty International will continue to campaign for their immediate and unconditional release, the report said. -16D-
Politics
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On November 14, the House of Commons of the UK Parliament held a hearing on "Academic Freedom and Corruption in Azerbaijan's Energy Sector," focusing on the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. The event, organized in collaboration with Global Witness and the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, was moderated by Joe Powell, head of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption.
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Head of the External Relations and Security Service of the EU Josep Borrel rejected the accusations against him and European countries made by the head of Azerbaijan at the COP29 conference the previous day.
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On Thursday, President Ilham Aliyev received the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, who arrived to participate in the COP29 climate conference.
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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today issued five rulings on applications from Azerbaijan. The case of "Afgan Mammadov v. Azerbaijan" concerned the complainant's exclusion from the Bar Association. Mammadov was expelled based on a complaint filed by a colleague, which he considered unjust. The ECHR ruled that Mammadov's rights had been violated and ordered Azerbaijan to pay him €5,000 in compensation for moral damage and €1,000 to cover legal costs.
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