The United States joins the Council of Europe, the European Union, and others in expressing concern about the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan to deny REAL Chairman Ilgar Mammadov’s appeal on November 18, reads US State Department statement.
We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against Mr. Mammadov, to comply with the 2014 European Court of Human Rights ruling on his case, and to release Mr. Mammadov and other individuals who have been incarcerated for exercising their fundamental freedoms, says the document.
* Mammadov was arrested on false charges of organizing riots in the town of Ismayilli in January 2013 and sentenced to 7 years in prison. The ECHR in May 2014 recognized the illegality of Mammadov’s arrest and called for his release.
The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers at the meeting of 20-21 September found a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights and Freedoms in refusal to release Mammadov. Discussing Baku’s refusal to execute the decision of the ECHR, the Committee of Ministers adopted a resolution, viewing the refusal of liberating Mammadov as a violation of Article 46.1 of the European Convention for Human Rights and Freedoms, which requires compulsory execution of ECHR judgments.
The Committee called on the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfill their obligations voluntarily and expressed a hope that the Supreme Court within a reasonable time will consider Mammadov’s complaint.
According to human rights defenders, the reference to Article 46 means that in case of further refusal to release Mammadov, the Committee of Ministers may take sanctions against Azerbaijan. -03D-
Politics
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The gas pipeline from Russia to Iran will pass through Azerbaijan, its route has been agreed upon. Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev told reporters, TASS reports.
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Journalist Farid Ismayilov, who had been under police supervision in connection with the Toplum TV case, was detained on January 17 and brought to the Khatai District Court, his colleagues reported.
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Ilham Aliyev congratulated Irakli Kobakhidze on the victory of the Georgian Dream party in the elections and wished him continued success. "The victory of your party is of particular significance for the entire South Caucasus, making it a more stable region, and we rejoice in this victory as your friends and brothers. We wish your government new successes in its work," said Aliyev during a joint briefing following talks and the signing of bilateral documents.
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On January 17, the Khatai District Court of Baku rejected the requests for house arrest for journalists Aynur Elgünesh and Natig Djavadly, employees of Meydan TV, their lawyers, Elchin Sadigov and Zibeyda Sadigova reported to Turan news agency. According to the lawyers, there are no legal or procedural grounds for keeping the journalists in detention. The journalists themselves stated that the criminal case against them had been fabricated to punish them for their professional activities. The defense intends to appeal the court's refusal to transfer the journalists to house arrest.
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