Strasbourg, 08.02.2013 – Reacting to the decision today of the Baku Court of Appeal to maintain in detention two human rights activists, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement:
“I am concerned by the recent events in Azerbaijan and the heavy-handed response of the police to protests. I am particularly disturbed by the arrest on 4 February of Tofig Yagublu and Ilgar Mammadov, in relation to recent events in Ismayilli.
Mr Mammadov is the Director of the Baku School of Political Studies, a close co-operation partner of the Council of Europe. Today’s decision of the Baku Court of Appeal not to release these two men and its refusal to allow the Council of Europe’s representative to be present during the Court proceedings is of particular gravity.
I call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to respect the fundamental principles and legally-binding standards of the European Convention of Human Rights, which they have undertaken to uphold when joining the Council of Europe.”
Politics
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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hold a two-day meeting of foreign ministers to finalize the remaining Articles of the peace treaty, with the leaders of both countries signing the agreement before COP29 in Baku, Sargis Handanyan, head of the Armenian parliamentary commission on foreign relations, said commenting on Aliyev's recent remarks that he would not sign a partial peace treaty.
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Mammadov's fate remains uncertain in Georgia, where authorities have denied him political asylum. He moved to Georgia in 2017, having previously engaged in public and human rights activities in Azerbaijan but left the country due to fears of persecution.
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On October 18, the third meeting of the "3+3" platform will be held, the Turkish TV channel TRT reported, citing Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. According to Hakan Fidan, the meeting, aimed at promoting peace, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus, will include the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Russia.
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According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense's press service on October 15, the Azerbaijani army is establishing units composed of recruits with high intellectual capabilities. After completing the basic training program, these recruits will continue their service in special units.
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