Asabali Mustafayev proposes to include lawyers in the Working Group on Political Prisoners

The recreated working group on political prisoners should also include lawyers. This idea was expressed by the head of the Resource Center for Democracy and Human Rights, lawyer Asabali Mustafayev. He urged his colleagues to write a collective letter to the leadership of the Council of Europe.

For possible counter-arguments that lawyers are stakeholders Mustafayev offers to attract lawyers as experts of CE.

Mustafayev nominated himself to the working group, as well as Khalid Baghirov, Nemat Kerimli and the head of the Association of Lawyers of Azerbaijan, Annaghi Hajibayli.

Nemat Kerimli supported this idea, noting that lawyers have to be in the Working Group. He is ready to participate, but it all depends on the size of the working group. "If the group has a vast majority of pro-government parties, then the participation of me alone or a few lawyers does not make sense," said Kerimli.

Khalid Baghirov says that if the working group is created, it should work with lawyers who defend political prisoners.

"We the lawyers can be called stakeholders in this. But if the working group is investigating the case of political prisoners, it simply has to listen to the lawyers and ask them questions," Baghirov said.

Annaghi Hajibayli believes that participation in the working group is meaningless. "Working together with people, who with their statements have prevented the release of political prisoners, makes no sense," said Hajibayli. -06D-