Azerbaijani authorities must release arrested journalists – Stefan Shennach

Arrests of journalists for fulfilling their duties are absolutely unacceptable. Stefan Shennach, former PACE Rapporteur on Azerbaijan and rapporteur on freedom of the media, told Turan news agency. "If they think that by selling oil and gas they can risk everything, then they are mistaken. Azerbaijan has already received numerous international signals in this regard," he said.

How should we assess the fact that not only journalists are being arrested, but also well-known political and public figures such as Dr. Gubad Ibadoglu and media expert Alesker Mammadli? They both have serious health problems, but the authorities ignore calls for their release.

Answering this question, Stefan Shennach said that the Council of Europe and many international organizations insist on their release. "Soon we will have a new Secretary General and these demands will increase. The authorities should understand that it is necessary to resolve this issue," he said.

In January, PACE deprived the Azerbaijani delegation of the right to vote for human rights violations. What will happen next? In response to this question, Stefan Shennach said that Azerbaijan should act as a member of the Council of Europe. "According to the decision, the issue may be reviewed if Azerbaijan complies with certain decisions of the Council of Europe,"  Shennach stressed.