Attempt to Fail Strasser Report in PACE Faced Fiasco

PACE late Wednesday at the plenary session of the autumn session, adopted a resolution entitled "Definition of" political prisoner "on the basis of the report of the German MP Christoph Strasser. The resolution was voted by 100 parliamentarians and 64 voted against.

As the special correspondent of Turan reported from Strasbourg, the discussions took place in a tense atmosphere. In particular, the heated debate centered around proposed by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, a group of deputies amendment, according to which the definition of political prisoners would be transferred to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. However, many members were against it, pointing out that in that case will be offset by the value of the resolution, and it will lose all meaning.

The votes equally divided 89 by 89. However, according to the procedural rules, the version proposed by the rapporteur passed. Discussion of the report continued more than an hour and diametrically opposed views were presented.

A number of deputies from Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the UK opposed the report. They explained an opinion that "it is an instrument of political pressure" and the work done by Strasser is "imperfect."

According to them, the report had no clear idea or concept. In particular, the Turk Movlut Cavusoglu called the report full of "nonsense."

British MP Mike Hancock accused the speaker of the direction of the report against Azerbaijan. "In your report, Azerbaijan is named four times, perhaps because you were not given a visa there," quipped Hancock, who is a frequent guest to Baku unlike Strasser. He called the report "empty."

In turn, the women members from Germany defended the report and accused Cavusoglu in lobbying the Azerbaijani authorities.

For the adoption of the report deputies from Estonia, Germany, Italy, France, etc. voted. 

An MP from the Netherlands, Cox offered to send a report to the judicial committee for revision, but his suggestion was not approved.

At a press conference held immediately after the debate, Strasser said that the adoption of his report was a "life-changing decision." According to him, if the issue was referred to the European Court, the PACE would not have power or influence in the issue of political prisoners. He also noted that, if his report was declined, the report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which will be presented at the PACE January Session would be declined, too. "In my opinion, this is the goal that was pursued," said Strasser. He also said that at the meeting of the legal committee there was an attempt to block the report, deleting five items that were in the definition of political prisoners and to refer the matter to the jurisdiction of the European Court. As for his visit to Azerbaijan, then, according to Strasser, the Azerbaijani government should make the right decision and to issue him a visa so that he was able to get acquainted with the situation. As he added, this concept is introduced for all CE countries, and to arrange the monitoring in a particular state, an application to PACE is required.

However, he said that human rights are not an internal affair of the country.

Recall that in the report Strasser gives the following definition of a political prisoner. "A person deprived of liberty shall be considered as a" political prisoner "if the detention was carried out in violation of one of the fundamental guarantees set out in the European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols (ECHR), in particular:

a) freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and information, freedom of assembly and association;

b) if the detention was carried out for political reasons without regard to any offense;

c) if the length of the detention or the conditions clearly not proportional to the crime, of which the person is accused;

d) if the person is detained in a discriminatory manner in comparison with others, or, if the detention is clearly the result of an unfair trial, and this is due to political motives of the authorities, the report said. -04C-