The "Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan" has published an updated list of political prisoners, which includes 357 names. Compared to the previous list from December 12 last year, the number of political prisoners has increased by 26 individuals. Among them are journalists Farid Ismayilov, Shamshad Agha, Shahnaz Beylergizi, and 13 arrested during the unrest in Imishli, among others.
The individuals on the list are classified into 12 groups: "journalists and bloggers" – 27 people; "human rights defenders" – 4 people; "members of opposition parties and civil society" – 32 people; "activists of national minorities" – 4 people; "anti-war activists" – 2 people; "Suyudlu case" – 2 people; "deported political refugees from Germany" – 5 people; "arrested in the Imishli case" – 13 people; "believers" – 235 people; "convicted in the Terter case" – 8 people; "convicted in the Ganja case" – 13 people; "life-sentenced prisoners" – 12 people.
The list was compiled by the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, Leyla Yunus, and the head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Center, Elshan Hasanov.
The head of the parliamentary committee on human rights, Zahid Orudzh, commenting on this list to Turan, stated that the individuals listed are being prosecuted according to the law, have been convicted, or are under investigation.
"In most cases, these are the forces that participated in international projects subject to registration under Azerbaijani law and should have acted legitimately. Activities outside of this are considered smuggling or tax evasion. This is precisely the reason why co-author of the list, Leyla Yunus, herself once considered herself the number one beneficiary of donor structures," he said.
At the same time, the deputy emphasized that the Azerbaijani state is ready for dialogue with any international structure to find a legal solution to this issue. Azerbaijan advocates for Azerbaijani legislation to be the basis for grant projects. He also mentioned the start of the commission’s meetings on pardons. Orudzh believes that the upcoming pardon will be another act of humanity, among those carried out over the past 30 years.
Politics
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the visit of the President of Somalia to Baku "will open a new page in the close friendly relations" between the two countries. In a press statement after the negotiations, Aliyev noted that the leaders of both countries discussed the geopolitical situation in their regions and confirmed mutual support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and Somalia, as well as a common stance in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
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Russia is not discussing the possibility of delivering Azerbaijani gas to the EU through Ukraine's gas transportation system, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated on Wednesday. "It is not being discussed," he said.
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On February 12, the Baku Appeals Court rejected the appeal to transfer journalist Ramin Djebrailzade (Deko) to house arrest, according to his lawyer Nemat Kerimli. The defense considers this decision unjustified, as no investigative actions have been conducted regarding Deko, who was arrested in connection with the Meydan TV case. The journalist denies the charge of currency smuggling. Representatives of the investigating authorities were unavailable for comment.
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On February 12, the National Assembly of Armenia approved in the first reading the bill "On the Initiation of the Republic of Armenia's Accession to the European Union." According to Armenian media reports, 63 deputies voted in favor, and 7 voted against. The bill was presented by the civil initiative Evrovote, which collected 60,000 signatures from citizens. On January 9, the bill was approved by the government and sent to the parliament.
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