The Commissioner of CoE for Human Rights Nils Muzhnieks second appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, stating that he wished to speak on the case as a third party (for the first time he sent a similar appeal on September 23, 2015).
As the Secretariat of the European Commissioner told Turan IA, the Commissioner, in accordance with his mandate, promotes effective respect for human rights, respect for the Council of Europe conventions, identifies possible shortcomings in law and practice and provides advice and information.
The situation of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan is of great concern. The repression, including the prosecution of critical voices is a widespread phenomenon.
The Commissioner considers that the case of Khadija Ismailova is illustration of the serious and systematic violations of human rights in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is not in compliance with its international obligations in the protection of freedoms. The charges against Khadija Ismailova, the known investigative journalist, are identical to charges against a number of other Azerbaijani human rights defenders.
During his visits to Azerbaijan in the past two years Muzhnieks repeatedly called on the authorities to stop the repression and to remove unfounded charges against human rights defenders, civil society and journalists. However, the repression only strengthens.
In his reports in 2013, 2014 and 2015 the Commissioner repeatedly pointed out these negative processes and the inaction of the authorities, but rather their steps to tighten pressure on the civilian sector on all fronts.
The arrest of Khadija Ismailova in December 2014 became part of the general suppression of dissent and human rights in Azerbaijan, which reached its peak in the summer of 2014, when the repression touched dozens of members of civil society, he said. He believes this is a disturbing illustration of reprisals against those who cooperate with international institutions, including the Council of Europe.
In the joint statement issued on September 1, 2015, together with the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, the Commissioner condemned the verdict on Khadija Ismailova of deprivation of liberty for 7.5 years on charges of fraud, abuse, tax evasion and so on.
The court's decision was seen as unjust and an evidence of the intention of Baku to continue to ignore its commitments and the opinion of the international community.
In conclusion, the Commissioner said that in Azerbaijan there is a clear pattern of repression against those who disagree or criticize the government. Such accusations are largely an attempt to silence those who cooperate with international institutions, including the Council of Europe.
The Commissioner would like to emphasize that the repression against his partners in Azerbaijan - civil society activists makes it increasingly difficult to work on the issue of human rights in Azerbaijan. This persecution has to stop immediately and all those arrested because of their views should be released, he said in conclusion.
Recall that the European Court of Human Rights completes the communication with the Azerbaijani government on the complaint from Khadija Ismailova. Apparently, the consideration of the action will take place in the near future.
Ismailova’s rights in the European Court will be protected by the well-known lawyer Amal Clooney. -02D-
Politics
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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On August 30, at approximately 22:55, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant in Metsamor was disconnected from the country's power grid, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. The shutdown was caused by a lightning strike, which triggered the plant's safety systems to switch the station to a safe shutdown mode. Currently, the plant's staff is working on restarting the facility.
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