By ignoring the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe's recommendations, the Azerbaijani authorities violate the values and standards, which themselves committed to abide by when joining the organization.
This has a negative impact on the implementation of human rights in Azerbaijan and the country's image abroad, said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Mujzhnieks in an interview with the Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty.
According to him, the Council of Europe and other bodies have condemned the criminal prosecution for political reasons against critics of the government and called for freeing them.
"Azerbaijan should listen to these recommendations, fulfill the case law of the European Court, and comply with obligations in the field of human rights," said Mujzhnieks.
The Commissioner expressed solidarity with the arrested journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who from prison called on the international community not to use the issue of "political prisoners" as the subject of political bargaining with the authorities.
"Human rights cannot be negotiated or bargained," the Commissioner said.
Mujzhnieks did not agree with the arguments of the Azerbaijani authorities that political prisoners were convicted for specific criminal acts and their guilt was proved by the court. -03D06--
Politics
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Leave a review