On 10 September plenary session of the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the release without any conditions civil society activists, human rights defenders and journalists Khadija Ismailova, Arif and Leyla Yunus, Anar Mammadli, Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliyev, Rauf Mirkadyrov, Omar Mammadov, Tofig Yagublu, Nijat Aliyev, Araz Guliyev, Parviz Hashimli, Seymour Ghazi, Hilal Mamedov, Thale Hasmamedov, Ilgar Mammadov, and all other political prisoners, as well as to remove all charges against them. The resolution calls on the leadership of the European Commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the corruption of the Azerbaijani leadership set out in the investigation of Khadija Ismailova. The resolution expressed the requirement to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan judges, officials and politicians of the country, as well as impose a visa ban on them. The resolution was adopted by 365 votes "for", 202 "against", and 72 abstentions, the deputies. The resolution was initiated by a group of Liberal Democrats (ALDE), which was supported then by five parliamentary groups. The text of the resolution can be found here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2f%2fEP%2f%2fNONSGML%2bMOTION%2bP8-RC-2015-0856%2b0%2bDOC%2bPDF%2bV0%2f%2fEN -16D04-
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On Thursday, hearings on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan began in th European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2015-0858&language=EN
The hearings focused on the human rights situation and the observance of the rule of law, taking into account previous resolutions on Azerbaijan. The draft resolution points to the worsening human rights situation, the pressure on civil society, the media, the repression against journalists and activists, violations of fundamental freedoms.
The document calls on Azerbaijan to fulfill the obligations to the Council of Europe, OSCE and UN in the field of human rights, to implement the recommendations of these organizations to improve the situation, to democratize the electoral environment. Otherwise, the European Parliament will refuse to send an observation mission for the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. -16D-
Politics
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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On August 30, at approximately 22:55, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant in Metsamor was disconnected from the country's power grid, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. The shutdown was caused by a lightning strike, which triggered the plant's safety systems to switch the station to a safe shutdown mode. Currently, the plant's staff is working on restarting the facility.
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