About PACE: "We Don't Play to Their Tune." "Relations Will Become Tense"

Today, on September 30, a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is being held in Strasbourg. The discussions are expected to continue until October 5.

The session's agenda includes the detention and trial of Julian Assange and its impact on human rights, as well as discussions on propaganda and freedom of information in Europe. In June of this year, the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was dismissed, and the U.S. authorities withdrew the extradition request. Assange was accused of espionage in the U.S. In 2019, British police detained him, and Assange admitted in a U.S. court that he had unlawfully obtained and disseminated classified information related to national security.

The session is also expected to feature speeches by North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski and the new Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset. Additionally, discussions are scheduled on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s compliance with its commitments, the risks and benefits of the virtual world (metaverse), and ensuring the right to food. The fight against illegal trafficking of migrants is also on the session’s agenda.

In January of this year, PACE did not confirm the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation. In response, Azerbaijan suspended its activities within the organization. Furthermore, a short while ago, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the deputies who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation in PACE had been included in the list of undesirable persons. During this autumn session, discussions on the deterioration of democracy, the rule of law, and the human rights situation in Azerbaijan are also expected.

Elman Nasirov, a member of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijan's parliament), told Turan News Agency that in January of this year, PACE imposed sanctions on Azerbaijan, suspending the activities of the country’s delegation within the organization for an indefinite period: “This move was made based on a very absurd idea. It is no secret that PACE imposed this sanction because Azerbaijan, as a result of its anti-terror operation against the armed forces of Armenia and the separatist entity on September 19-20, 2023, fully restored its sovereignty over Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.”

According to Nasirov, this action was entirely contrary to PACE's plans: “They were not interested in resolving this conflict and wanted to keep it in a frozen state. After the Azerbaijani army fulfilled its historic mission, they activated this punitive mechanism.”

Nasirov believes there is another reason behind this move: “Azerbaijan will be hosting a very important event – COP29 – in the coming months. We have seen many times that international pressure on Azerbaijan intensifies when it hosts such significant events. This time is no exception. We have faced coordinated pressure from the European Parliament, PACE, and the U.S. Congress.”

He believes that instead of correcting its mistake, PACE is once again threatening Azerbaijan and intends to hold hearings related to Azerbaijan: “PACE is once again presenting an untruthful position on human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan. We understand that the real reason is that we don’t ‘play to the tune’ dictated by those at the helm of PACE. They want to govern states with a baton. But the Azerbaijani state and its President, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, pursue an independent policy based on national interests. They do not want to accept this, and that is why they are employing pressure mechanisms against us.”

Nasirov noted that these pressure mechanisms have a boomerang effect: “Such mechanisms lead to certain corrections in Azerbaijan's foreign policy behavior and actions. Azerbaijan has already expressed its intention to join the BRICS organization. Countries and political circles exerting pressure on Azerbaijan should know that Azerbaijan has immunity against these pressures and is a strong state.”

Rufat Safarov, co-founder of the “Defense Line” human rights organization, holds a different view from the deputy. He told Radio Azadliq that this institution is a political mechanism that defines and exports unified human rights standards to member countries in Europe: “Twenty-three years ago, when Azerbaijan became a member of the Council of Europe, it undertook political and legal commitments. Unfortunately, over these years, Azerbaijan not only failed to fulfill these commitments but also saw a worsening of the legal and political climate in the country.”

According to the human rights defender, as isolations in the field of human rights increased, PACE did not confirm the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation. He believes this decision was based on Azerbaijan’s legal policies: “The number of political prisoners increased, the operations of independent media were restricted, politics became a controlled sphere, human rights mechanisms and organizations were marginalized, and civil society was not allowed to develop. In essence, Azerbaijan has shown over these years that it does not conform to the political and legal principles of the Council of Europe.”

Safarov emphasized that during the period when Azerbaijan suspended its activities in PACE, the government further distanced itself from Europe and its reputable political and legal mechanisms: “Instead of addressing human rights issues, Azerbaijan tightened the belt of repression even further.”

The human rights defender believes that Azerbaijan’s delegation will not have its mandate confirmed in PACE again: “Because the severe reasons behind last year’s decision have not been resolved. On the contrary, during this period, official Baku has increased politically motivated criminal prosecutions. In this context, relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, as well as its highest bodies, will become more tense.”