PACE rapporteurs met with civil society

On arrival in Azerbaijan the PACE co-rapporteurs Joseph Grech and Pedro Agramunt held a meeting with representatives of civil society and human rights defenders in the Baku office of the Council of Europe on January 21 .

As reported the Institute of Reporters' Freedom and Safety, the co-rapporteurs informed about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, political prisoners, members of the movement NIDA, the trial of the leader of REAL Ilgar Mamedov and the deputy chairman of the party Musavat Tofik Yagublu, and the status of the chief editor of the Khural newspaper Avaz Zeynally.

The meeting was attended by human rights activists Novella Jafaroglu, Saida Gojamanli, Rasul Jafarov, Saadat Bananyarly, Samir Kazimly and others.

The PACE co-rapporteurs' meeting with President Ilham Aliyev is not scheduled and they plan to meet with the head of the Presidential Administration, the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General, the Chairman of the Supreme Court, representatives of opposition parties represented and unrepresented in the Milli Majlis, and the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan.

In addition, the co-rapporteurs plan to visit Nakhchivan, where they will meet with the head of the Supreme Majlis and civil society representatives.

Following the visit, January 23 co-rapporteurs will hold a press conference in the Baku office of the Council of Europe. -16D04-