Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Warns of Sanctions if Mammadov Is Not Released

Baku / 23.09.16 / Turan: The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at the 20-21 September meeting found a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights and Freedoms in Azerbaijan that would not release the leader of the opposition movement REAL, Ilgar Mammadov.

Discussing Baku’s refusal to execute the ECHR judgment on the case of Ilgar Mammadov, the Committee of Ministers adopted a decree. It says that no release of Mammadov is a violation of Article 46.1 of the European Convention for Human Rights and Freedoms, which requires mandatory execution of ECHR judgments.

The Committee called on the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfill their obligations voluntarily. At the same time it expressed concern about the government's refusal to inform the Committee of Ministers on the Mammadov case.

The Committee expressed a hope that the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan within a reasonable time would consider Mammadov’s complaint.

Commenting on this decision, the human rights activist Rasul Jafarov said the Committee of Ministers for the first time refers to Article 46 on Azerbaijan.

According to Paragraph 4 of the same article, a country that evades the execution of the ECHR decision may be subject to sanctions. In other words, the Committee of Ministers made it clear that in case of further non-fulfillment of the ECHR decisions, sanctions can be taken against Azerbaijan.

* Mammadov was arrested on false charges of organizing riots in the town of Ismayilli in January 2013 and sentenced to 7 years in prison. In May 2014 the ECHR recognized the illegality of Mammadov’s arrest and called for his release. -06D--