Doors for dialogue with Baku are open, but Azerbaijan must accept Council of Europe values - PACE discussions

Azerbaijan must comply with the values of the Council of Europe, this is a condition for the return of the delegation to the PACE. This was the main leitmotif of the debate on ‘Deteriorating situation of human rights, rule of law and democracy in Azerbaijan’ held on 1 October at the PACE session in Strasbourg.

The debate was opened by the rapporteur on Azerbaijan, Norwegian MP Lisa Kristoferson. She reminded that on 24 January the Assembly decided not to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation.  The reason is the refusal to invite the PACE delegation to observe the Presidential elections on 7 February, as well as ‘the human rights situation in Nagorno Karabakh’.

Kristoferson noted that as we approach COP29, events in Azerbaijan continue to develop in a ‘bad direction’. Thus, the Azerbaijani authorities decided not to invite the PACE delegation to observe the Parliamentary elections on 1 September.

On 26 August, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declared persona non grate 76 members of PACE deputies who voted in favor of depriving the Azerbaijani delegation of the right to vote.

The 1 September Parliamentary elections have caused concern due to the failure to meet democratic standards. The country's electoral code does not comply with international standards, including recommendations of the ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) and the Venice Commission.

According to the ODIHR, the Parliamentary elections took place ‘in a restrictive political and legal environment, resulting in a lack of competition,’ the Norwegian MP noted.

Moreover, the 1 September elections took place against a backdrop of continued repression of dissent, with a tightening of freedom of expression, assembly, and continued repression of political activists, civil society and media representatives.

In the months before the elections, authorities arrested dozens of journalists, from outlets such as 'Toplum TV', 'Abzas Media' and 'Kanal-13', who had professional experience covering elections.

'Turan Agency', one of the few remaining independent media outlets, was under constant pressures, Kristoferson emphasized.

Authorities also arrested civil society activists with experience in election observation, such as Anar Mammadli and Akif Gurbanov.  Government critic and former diplomat Emin Ibragimov was arrested on hooliganism charges, while Talysh researcher Iqbal Abilov and young activist Bahruz Samedov were arrested on charges of state treason.

She also pointed to the ‘unresolved situation around Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan’.

Since late January 2024, the Azerbaijani authorities have refused to hold high-level talks with the Council of Europe's Committee against Torture in Baku, Kristoferson noted.

Irish MP Paul Gavan suggested that the Committee of Ministers and the PACE initiate a joint procedure ‘in connection with the numerous serious violations by Azerbaijan of its obligations to this organisation’.

Sweden's Azadeh Rojhan criticized Azerbaijan's ban on the entry of 76 PACE deputies who voted to disenfranchise the Azerbaijani delegation.

However, UK MP Christopher Chope saw the special debate on Azerbaijan as discriminatory against the country, as there are states where the situation with the fulfillment of obligations is worse.

‘Why do some members of this Assembly think we should take Turkey less seriously than Azerbaijan?’ he said and noted the international community supported Azerbaijan's chairmanship of COP29 and 120 UN members supported Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement.   He suggested returning Azerbaijan's delegation to PACE and direct dialogue on existing issues.

German MP Frank Schwabe objected, saying that the situation in Azerbaijan and Turkey is different.  Ankara does not refuse to be monitored by the Council of Europe, unlike Baku, which has refused to co-operate with the Council of Europe.

He pointed out that the current debate is about human rights in Azerbaijan, where the number of political prisoners has grown from 93 to 319 since February 2023.

‘ Do we allow Azerbaijan to change the values and rules of this organisation? Or do we ask Azerbaijan to accept the values and rules of this organisation ? If the country and the government are ready to do this, they will be welcome in the Assembly, ‘ Schwabe said.

Italian MP Aurora Floridia called for increased attention to human rights in Azerbaijan ahead of the COP29 climate conference.

‘As we approach COP29, we must demand not only action on climate change but also the protection of human rights in the host country,’ she said.

Serbian MP Biljana Pantic Pilia pointed out that there was ‘no particular point’ in holding this debate without the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation.

‘I believe that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe should serve as a platform for dialogue. Without the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation, such an initiative is unlikely to achieve its stated goals,’ she said.  She called the decision to deprive the Azerbaijani delegation of the right to vote ‘useless and counterproductive’.

Another Serbian MP Elvira Kovacs, Turkish MP Zeynep Yildiz and Italian MP Elisabetta Gardini also spoke in favor of Azerbaijan's return to the Council of Europe.

Summing up the discussion Liz Kristoferson noted that no one closed the door for resumption of dialogue.  However, even she - the rapporteur for Azerbaijan - could not access contacts in Azerbaijan.

‘It's hard to say how this will end, but for the good of the people of Azerbaijan we should try to establish a dialogue in which PACE, the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General act in a coordinated way.

‘It is useless to simply release a few political prisoners. A binding action plan must be developed to change the restrictive laws on political parties, NGOs and media. All attempts at renewed dialogue must be based on the principles of the Council of Europe,’ Kristoferson stressed.