Anar Baghirov: Number of Lawyers to Grow

Baku / 02.05.18 / Turan: In Azerbaijan, on average, every 10 thousand inhabitants have one lawyer. This was reported by the chairman of the Bar of Azerbaijan Anar Baghirov in an interview with local media.

According to him, from now on in Azerbaijan the number of lawyers will grow by 100 people every month.

In the next few days the number of members of the Bar Association will exceed one thousand. According to him, admission to the Bar will be unlimited.

Any candidate who meets the requirements will be able to submit documents and after a certain time a test exam will be conducted, he said.

Baghirov also touched upon the issue of lawyers' contacts with the media, saying that lawyers can provide information to the media within the law.

"We cannot impose bans on lawyers. Simply, we recommended that by providing information to the press, they should not disclose a lawyer's secret," he said.

The purpose of the Bar is to ensure that lawyers comply with the requirements of the law "On lawyers and advocacy", do not disclose lawyer secrets and properly fulfill their obligations, he said.

As of September 1, 2017, the population of Azerbaijan was 9.9 million people. The number of members of the Bar Association until recently was 934 people. This is the lowest rate in Europe.

According to media reports, more than 700 attorneys operate in Baku. At the same time, courts annually consider 350-400 thousand cases.

Independent experts and representatives of civil society indicate harassment of lawyers, known for their active citizenship and protecting political prisoners.

On the proposal of the courts and the prosecutor's office, the powers of the well-known lawyers Alaif Hasanov, Khalid Baghirov, Yalchin Imanov, Nemat Kerimli, Fakhraddin Mehdiyev, Elchin Namazov, Asabali Mustafayev, Namizad Safarov and others were completely or temporarily terminated in recent years. -06B-