Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission and Commissioner Štefan Füle, issued the following statement October 10:
«The High Representative and the Commissioner take note of the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR International Election Observation Mission to the Azerbaijan Presidential Election of 9 October 2013.
The strong turnout in the election demonstrates the commitment of the people of Azerbaijan to the democratic process. Nevertheless, the OSCE/ODIHR's preliminary conclusions state that significant problems were observed throughout all stages of election day processes, and identify serious shortcomings - including limitations on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association that did not guarantee a level playing field for candidates - which need to be addressed in order for Azerbaijan to fully meet its international commitments. Equally, citizens who have filed election appeals need to be provided sufficient guarantees of effective redress.
The High Representative and the Commissioner, noting the statement of the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's delegations, welcome the will of the Azerbaijani authorities to have a large presence of national and international observers. They further encourage the Azerbaijan authorities to consider the recommendations of the international community, with a view to continuing to develop the path towards democracy and the rule of law in Azerbaijan», - reads the statement. -02D-
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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