Strasbourg/20.02.20/Turan: The co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Azerbaijan by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC) and Sir Roger Gale (United Kingdom, EC/DA), have expressed their grave concern about recent developments in Azerbaijan.
“We are deeply worried by the escalation of police violence against peaceful demonstrators,” they said, referring to reports of the brutal dispersion of protestors against the conduct of the snap parliamentary elections held on 9 February 2020.
“Allegations by Reporters Without Borders of obstruction and physical violence against journalists documenting the demonstrations are particularly worrying. All these cases must be investigated and those responsible must be prosecuted,” they added.
“The most recent reports regarding the detention of leaders of the extra-parliamentary opposition, Ilgar Mammadov (REAL), Arif Hajili (Musavat Party) and Mr Izzatly (D18), as well as reports that more than 100 activists – including Mehman Huseynov of the IRFS – have been detained ahead of an unauthorised protest in Baku, are of the utmost concern. This suppression of pluralism is wholly unacceptable, and should stop immediately,” they concluded, urging the Azerbaijani authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations as part of the democratic process.-0-
Politics
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On November 26, the Baku Court of Appeals reviewed the appeal of human rights defender Anar Mammadli, who contested the extension of his detention. Mammadli's lawyer, Javad Javadov, stated that Mammadli argued the extension of his pre-trial detention was unfounded and linked the criminal prosecution to his human rights activities, Turan reported.
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On November 26, a group of reserve officers from the Nakhchivan special forces held a protest near the Azerbaijani presidential administration. The protesters participated in the 44-day war and were discharged after sustaining injuries. They claim that the payments they are entitled to have not been provided.
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On November 26, the Baku Court of Appeals heard a complaint regarding the extension of the detention of former diplomat Emin Ibrahimov. During the hearing, the investigator requested that the complaint be rejected, while Ibrahimov's lawyer, Aghil Laidj, pointed out the lack of grounds for keeping Ibrahimov in custody.
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Arrested economist Fazil Gasimov has reportedly faced pressure after protesting the interruption of a phone call with his family on November 16. "The phone call was cut off, and Fazil demanded that the connection be restored. Then, Jalal Alizadeh, a detention center officer, along with his colleagues, forcibly removed Fazil from the phone room in the medical unit of the facility, tearing his jacket and dragging him across the floor before throwing him into a cell.
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