Donald Tusk Meets with Representatives of Azerbaijan�s Civil Society

Baku / 09.07.19 / Turan: Today, July 9, the President of the Council of the European Union, Donald Tusk, met with representatives of the civil society of Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, which took place in the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan, an exchange of views took place on EU-Azerbaijan relations, on processes in the field of media, civil society, human rights, etc.

The meeting was attended by the Director of the Turan news agency Mehman Aliyev, the lawyer Elchin Sadigov, the Chairman of the Association of Women for Rational Development Shahla Ismail, and a member of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, Zaur Akbar.

The meeting was held during Donald Tusk"s visit to Azerbaijan to discuss a range of issues related to EU-Azerbaijan relations. On May 14, the European Union published the annual report "On the state of affairs with democracy and human rights in the world".

In the part of the document concerning Azerbaijan, it is noted that the situation in the country is still cause for concern.

"Restrictions on fundamental freedoms of assembly, speech and association continue, and the authorities are persecuting opponents. The already narrowed environment for the activities of civil society has become even more difficult after restrictions in legislation, including a ban on foreign funding," the report says.

The paper also draws attention to arbitrary arrests. "Without a court decision, the sites of well-known media were blocked, and on the basis of administrative instructions, reporters were detained.

The ban on access to legal proceedings by lawyers who are not members of the Bar association seriously impedes access to fair justice. The Bar association deprived the licenses of a number of lawyers specializing in and actively involved in the protection of human rights," the document says. -0-