Geneva/10.05.18/Turan: Azerbaijan"s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council"s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time on Tuesday, 15 May 2018 in a meeting in Geneva.
Azerbaijan is one of the 14 States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming session taking place from 7 to 18 May. Azerbaijan"s first and second UPR reviews took place in February 2009 and April 2013, respectively.
The documents on which the reviews are based are: 1) national report - information provided by the State under review; 2) information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities; 3) information provided by other stakeholders including national human rights institutions, regional organizations and civil society groups.
The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. Since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed twice within the first and second UPR cycles. During the third UPR cycle, States are again expected to spell out steps they have taken to implement recommendations posed during their previous reviews which they committed to follow-up on, as well as to highlight recent human rights developments in the country.
The delegation of Azerbaijan will be headed by Mr. Khalaf Khalafov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs ("troika") for the review of Azerbaijan are: the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador and Slovenia. The webcast of the session will be at http://webtv.un.org
The UPR Working Group is scheduled to adopt the recommendations made to Azerbaijan at 17.30 on 17 May. The State under review may wish to express its positions on recommendations posed to it during their review. The recommendations will be shared with the media on this day in advance. -02D-
Politics
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On November 28, the Tbilisi City Court ruled to extradite Afgan Sadigov, the head of the website Azel.TV, to Azerbaijan. This was reported by his wife Sevinj Sadigova. The defense will appeal the court's decision.
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The leader of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), Ali Kerimli, has stated that his internet blockade has become more severe. “For almost five years, I have been under an internet blockade. But recently, it has taken on an openly blatant and shameless form,” Kerimli said during a press conference today.
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On November 27, an online hearing took place at the Khatai District Court regarding a petition from the defense for the release of Alaskar Mammadli, the founder of Toplum TV, under house arrest. Mammadli has been in custody at Baku’s Detention Center No. 1. The court denied the petition, Mammadli's brother, Nasimi Mammadli.
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On November 28, another hearing took place in the case of public activist Ilhamiz Guliyev. During the proceedings, the court reviewed a response from the 28th Police Station of the Yasamal District in Baku. At the previous hearing, the defense had requested that the court obtain footage from the surveillance cameras at this police station, where Guliyev was taken on December 4 of last year. However, the police response stated that the video footage had not been preserved.
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