Association of Schools of Political Studies Condemn Arrest of Ilgar Mamedov

Directors of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe issued a joint statement in which they strongly condemned the arrest of their Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilgar Mamedov, the director of the Baku School. They demanded the immediate release of Mamedov, who was arrested on charges of organizing the riots in Ismayilli on January 23-24.

"The charges against Mr. Ilgar Mamedov, one of Azerbaijan's leading defenders of true democracy, are politically motivated and aimed to silence him by the prosecution. This travesty of justice is a flagrant violation of the commitments by Azerbaijan, as a member state of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights," said the statement released in Strasbourg.

Catherine Lalumiere, Director of the European Association of Schools of Political Studies, headed by former Secretary General of the Council of Europe (1989-94), is asking the Council of Europe, the European Union and its members to stand up for human rights and democracy. They demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ilgar Mamedov, the only "crime" of whom was to protect and promote the values and ideals that lie at the heart of the European project. The Association includes 16 schools in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. -06D-