![PACE rapporteurs welcome presidential pardon of prisoners in Azerbaijan, call for release of all political prisoners](https://turan.az/resized/media/2019/main/031900017620-750-500-resize.webp)
PACE rapporteurs welcome presidential pardon of prisoners in Azerbaijan, call for release of all political prisoners
Strasbourg, 19.03.2019 - Sunna Aevarsdottir (Iceland, SOC), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, along with Sir Roger Gale (United Kingdom, EC) and Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), PACE Monitoring Committee co-rapporteurs for Azerbaijan, today welcomed the release, following the Navruz presidential pardon, of more than 400 sentenced prisoners in Azerbaijan, including over 50 persons considered to be political prisoners.
"I welcome President Aliyev"s decision to release on humanitarian grounds a significant number of prisoners, including over 50 persons whose names appeared in my recent introductory memorandum on reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan," said Ms Aevarsdottir. "A series of injustices against innocent people has been brought to an end, although much more remains to be done."
"Whilst this latest pardon is of course welcome, the exercise of discretionary power by the executive is no substitute for an independent judiciary that prevents injustice and politically motivated detention in the first place," added Sir Roger Gale. "I call upon the Azerbaijani authorities to press ahead urgently with fundamental reform of the judicial system, in line with standards and recommendations of the Council of Europe."
"The problem of political prisoners has cast a shadow over Azerbaijan"s membership of the Council of Europe since the very beginning," concluded Mr Schennach. "It is high time that not just some, but all political prisoners in Azerbaijan were released."
Ms Aevarsdottir and, on a separate occasion, Sir Roger Gale and Mr Schennach all intend to conduct fact-finding visits to Azerbaijan in the coming months, with the issue of political prisoners on all of their agendas.-0-
Politics
-
At the trial of the opposition politician Tofig Yagublu, the statement of Elnur Vaqifoglu, another accused, was heard at the Baku Serious Crimes Court.
-
EU Reporter sadly announces the death from natural causes this week of its Political Editor Nick Powell, whilst attending the Global Media Forum in Susha, Azerbaijan.
-
The health of economist Fazil Gasimov, who is on hunger strike for the 43rd day, has deteriorated sharply. On the night of July 26, he was transferred from the Baku pre-trial detention center-1 to a medical institution of the Penitentiary Service, the economist's brother Nazim Gasimov told Turan.
-
On July 26, the trial of public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev continued in the Baku Serious Crimes Court. Three witnesses were heard. One of them said that she had once asked Hajiyev for help in obtaining a visa for a tour to the Czech Republic and had no other business with him. At the same time, the witness stressed that she did not personally transfer the money, but made a transfer for the service.
Leave a review