ECHR Rules on Violations of the Rights of Azerbaijani Opposition Figures

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today issued five rulings on applications from Azerbaijan. The case of "Afgan Mammadov v. Azerbaijan" concerned the complainant's exclusion from the Bar Association. Mammadov was expelled based on a complaint filed by a colleague, which he considered unjust. The ECHR ruled that Mammadov's rights had been violated and ordered Azerbaijan to pay him €5,000 in compensation for moral damage and €1,000 to cover legal costs.

As for Mammadov's request to be reinstated to the Bar Association, the Strasbourg court referred the issue to the Committee of Ministers, the body responsible for overseeing the implementation of ECHR decisions.

The case of "Ali Kerimli and others v. Azerbaijan" dealt with the authorities' refusal to approve a protest march from "Huseyn Javid" park to the parliament building. The applicants – Ali Kerimli, Chairman of the Popular Front Party, along with Ilham Huseyn, Vahid Maharramli, Nureddin Mammadli, and Emil Salimov – argued that the ban on the protest violated Article 11 (freedom of assembly) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The ECHR found the authorities' restrictions on freedom of assembly to be unfounded and in violation of the European Convention. The court awarded each applicant €1,500 for moral damage and €250 for legal costs.

The case of "Tofig Yagublu and others v. Azerbaijan" also concerned restrictions on freedom of assembly and the use of unlawful and disproportionate force against participants in a peaceful protest, as well as unjust trials related to administrative charges against them.

Tofig Yagublu had complaints in two separate cases. In the first, the ECHR awarded him €3,500 in compensation, and in the second, €2,340. The same amount was awarded to the other applicants in this case, Razim Amir Aslanly and Goshgar Nuraliyev.

The ECHR also ruled that the administrative arrests of Rahim Veliyev and Yusif Garayev were unlawful, awarding each €1,200 in compensation.

In the case of Vugar Rzali, who complained about an administrative arrest based on a false accusation of disobeying the police, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement, with the government agreeing to pay €2,500 in compensation.