«Since July this year another and more systematic narrowing the scope of the activities of civil society in Azerbaijan is observed," stated former PACE rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan ,Christopher Strasser. Currently, he is the Ombudsman of the German government. In an interview with German television station N-TV, he recalled the arrests of human rights activists and NGO leaders - Leyla and Arif Yunus, Intigam Aliyev, Rasul Jafarov.
"We know them as serious and loving the business partners, and the charges against them are questionable," said Strasser.
He also reiterated that currently Azerbaijan heads the CE Committee of Ministers. "Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani authorities do not use the chairmanship to strengthen the rule of law, freedom of expression, assembly," said Strasser.
After the accession of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe, PACE deputies prepared three lists of political prisoners. The first of these, presented British MP, George Klerfayd, the second – also British MP Malcolm Bruce, and the third list of 60 people unveiled Christopher Strasser. This list was discussed at the PACE session, but it was not adopted, what caused a enthusiastic reaction of Baku. -16D04-
Politics
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On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.
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The U.S. Embassy responded to the host of the "Həftə" ("Week") program, who once again accused the United States of pursuing an anti-Azerbaijani policy, using undiplomatic language.
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On Monday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who is currently on a working visit to Belgrade, was received by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service, during the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction with the "strategic partnership between the two countries" and emphasized the importance of mutual high-level visits.
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On December 23, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Serbia took place in Belgrade. During the final press conference, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric reported that the discussions focused on the development of tourism. "We are strengthening efforts to open direct air routes, as well as economic development and energy," said Djuric. The minister expressed confidence that cooperation between Serbia and Azerbaijan would become even closer and more intensive in the near future.
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