Hasanov to Transfer Request to Pardon Political Prisoners to President (UPDATED)

During today's meeting of the Assistant to the President on social and political issues Ali Hasanov with the leaders of several parties the issue of political prisoners was raised. Hasanov told this to reporters after the meeting. According to him, as in the two previous meetings, representatives of a number of parties raised the question of "some prisoners" and asked for their pardon.

Hasanov promised that the appeal of the parties "will be brought to the President," calling the meeting itself "productive"

One of those who raised the issue of political prisoners was the leader of the Hope Party Igbal Aghazadeh. He believes that the problem of political prisoners should be solved.

Aghazadeh noted selective approach of the authorities to the matter of punishment. Thus, the prosecutor demands sentencing the human rights activist Intigam Aliyev to 9 years in jail and at the same time wants probation for the officer of the Ministry of Defense that embezzled 2 million manat.

"Let’s say Intigam Aliyev is not a political prisoner. Well let's say it is so. But the approach to him is political because he is against the line of the authority, while the man that misappropriated state property supports the line of the power. You can call it as you like, but Intigam Aliyev was arrested as a result of a political approach,"- Aghazadeh said. -0C06--

2015 May 15 (Friday) 12:23:50

On May 15 the International Press Center is holding a third meeting of representatives of the presidential administration and a number of political parties. The agenda includes the upcoming European Games in Baku and attitude to them within the country and abroad.

Opening the meeting, Assistant to the President on social and political issues Ali Hasanov said that "the government and the political parties are an integral part of the Azerbaijani society and to the extent there are questions of national importance there is a need for discussions between the authorities and the opposition."

Hasanov spoke in favor to exchange of views with the parties, listen to their positions and take account of this in order to "optimize the decisions taken by the state."

According to him, the Administration received a number of proposals from parties. They were reviewed and summarized. "But none of them provided any serious current offer," he said.

At the same time, he outlined a proposal from the Azadlig-2015 bloc on an electoral reform and the participation of political parties in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"But the power is not ready to discuss this issue," Hasanov said, adding that today the Azerbaijani society is "most interested in the European Games and the attitude to them within the country and abroad."

As suggested by Hasanov, parties should not stay out of these discussions. Therefore, the agenda of this meeting includes the issue.

However, he also proposed to include “current issues" into the agenda and offered the party leaders along with this theme to speak on other issues.

At the meeting, there are leaders or representatives of the parties Civil Solidarity, Classic Popular Front, Hope, Unity, Great Establishment, the Unified Popular Front of Azerbaijan, Democratic Reforms, Citizens and Development, Democratic, Great Azerbaijan, Justice, Social Democratic, Freedom, National Independence, Intellectuals, the Movement of National Revival, and Social Welfare.

It should be noted that more than half of these parties is pro-government, and there is no opposition among them.

At the same time, the leaders of the leading opposition parties, Popular Front and Musavat, again refused to participate in the "dialogue" because of its formal character and taking into account the authorities' refusal of the prior approval of the agenda. -03B06-