Human rights activist appreciates the pardoning of political prisoners

The monitoring group Human Rights Organizations of Azerbaijan (MGHRA) commends the last order of Ilham Aliyev to pardon and believes it is an important step in addressing the issue of political prisoners.

"We believe that it will be properly assessed at the January session of PACE, which will discuss two reports on Azerbaijan," said the head of the Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Saida Gojamanli.

She noted that among those pardoned were 14 people named in the report by the PACE rapporteur on political prisoners Christopher Strasser.

There are two "prisoners of conscience" - Vidadi Iskenderli and Shahin Hasanli, two journalists - Anar Bayramli and Aydin Janiyev, lawyer Taleh Khasmamedov, believers Azar Jabiyev, Fahri Iliasov, Ilgar Musayev, Mammad Asgarov, Zaur Iskenderov, and Araz Ismayilov, Jeykhun Farzullaev (was arrested on the case of the leader of the National Statehood Party Neimat Panahli), Mammadali Aliyev (former chief of the Absheron police) and Shamsi Abdullayev (convicted on the Special Police Force case).

According to Gojamanli, 18 other political and civil society activists and journalists from the Strasser list were previously released.

In addition, a month ago two other "prisoners of hijab" - Reshad Valiguliev and Taleh Bagirov were released from parole. Rovshan Badalov from the Karabakh Guerrillas list served his sentence and was released.

In February Kamran Karimov (member of the separatist movement Sadval convicted in 1999 for 14 years on charges of armed attack on border guards) was released from parole. 

Another person from the Strasser list - deputy chairman of the Islamic Party Vagif Abdullayev died.

Thus, from the Strasser list of 85 people, 48 remain in detention. Trials of some of them have not been completed (journalists Avaz Zeynalli, Zaur Guliyev and Vugar Gonagov), or they are not brought to justice (brother-in-law of Ali Kerimli, Elnur Seyidov).

Nineteen others were sentenced for life in the case of the Special Police Force rebellion in 1995, the coup attempt in 1994 and other matters.

As Gojamanli noted, MGHRA advocates in these cases to make a decision at the parliamentary level.

Note that these people were sentenced to death, and after the abolition of the punishment it was commuted to life imprisonment. At the time of the sentencing the alternative death penalty was 15 years in prison, so these people believe that they have already served the sentence.

In MGHRA they believe that such a decision can be made by Parliament and it should be taken into account that these persons had been in prison for many years, and some of them are elderly or ill.

According to Gojamanli the last presidential order pardoned 4 people from the MGHRA list and there are still six - brothers Farhad and Rafig Aliyev, Ali Insanov, Neimat Panahli, Shamsi Samadzadeh (businessman) and Dayanat Kerimov (the Special Police Force case).

In addition, the MGHRA considers potential political prisoners those under investigation or those already brought before the court - the young activist of Musavat, Nigar Yagublu, the journalists Avaz Zeynalli, Hilal Mammadov, Vugar Gonagov and Zaur Guliyev.

"We hope that by the Presidency of Azerbaijan in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2014 the political prisoners issue will have been resolved," said Gojamanli. -06B-