Baku / 01.10.17 / Turan: The Council of Europe is concerned about the persecution of LGBT by the police in Azerbaijan. This is stated by Daniel Holtgen, official representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, circulated on Sunday evening.
"We are very concerned by reports from Azerbaijan alleging mistreatment of LGBT persons by police. Discrimination of minorities, sexual or other, is against the European Convention of Human Rights. LGBT persons have no special rights under the Convention; they have the same rights as anyone else. Azerbaijan should ensure these rights are respected and the reported mistreatment cases are thoroughly investigated. We are following developments closely," the statement said.
According to local human rights activists and LGBT activists, about 100 homosexuals and transgender people were detained during police raids in mid-September.
Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said the detentions were carried out as part of the fight against prostitution, and no violent actions were allowed.
However, civil society activists and the LGBT community stated that most of the detainees were not sex workers. According to them, the detainees were subjected to insults and physical pressure and were forced to give information about their familiar representatives of sexual minorities, who were also brought to the police. Some of the detainees were released after they were fined. However, 61 people were sentenced to administrative arrest for a period of 10 to 30 days on charges of not submitting to the police. In the courts, they were without lawyers.
Currently, their rights are protected by two groups of lawyers consisting of five and two defenders. Decisions on their arrests have been appealed. -06D--
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An online meeting of civil society activists focused on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, convened on the initiative of the Justice Solidarity Committee, highlighted significant concerns over the detention of journalists, political activists, and opponents of the war. The gathering, held on August 30, coincided with the International Day of Remembrance of the Missing and underscored the ongoing challenges facing both Azerbaijani and Armenian societies in the wake of the Karabakh conflicts.
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No precipitation is expected in Baku and on the Absheron Peninsula; the northwestern wind will change to a southeastern wind during the day. Air temperatures will range from 21-26°C at night and 33-38°C during the day, according to the National Hydrometeorology Service of the Ministry of Ecology.
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A fire has erupted at the Experimental and Testing Production of the Scientific Research Institute of SOCAR (the state oil company) in the Surakhani district of Baku, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. "Thanks to the urgent and necessary measures taken by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the spread of the fire to neighboring areas, including nearby residential buildings, has been prevented," the statement reads. Efforts to extinguish the fire are still ongoing.
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In September, the average monthly air temperature in Azerbaijan is expected to be close to the climatic norm. Precipitation levels will also be near the norm, but in some areas, they will exceed it, according to the September forecast from the National Hydrometeorological Service.
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