Human rights activists criticize the authorities for refusing to pardon on the occasion of Novruz Bayram

Baku/17.03.22/Turan: Human rights activists are disappointed that the head of state did not issue a pardon order by the eve of Novruz Bayram. “We expected that in March there would be a pardon order and release of political prisoners, but this did not happen. The authorities play on the feelings of the families of their political prisoners, and then do not keep their word,” Rufat Safarov, executive director of the human rights organization Line of Defense, said at a press conference today.

Presenting a report on the violations of citizens' rights over the past month, Safarov said that the political prisoners were innocent and were convicted for not agreeing with the government's policies.

“The guilt of political prisoners is that they do not support the political line of the authorities. The current form of government cannot exist without political prisoners,” Safarov said.

According to him, the government should draw conclusions from the processes in the world and change its policy, act more liberally. The Line of Defense report presented focuses on the brutal murder of reporter, LGBTI+ activist Avaz Hafizli, police obstruction of protests by Azerbaijani activists against the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, a peaceful action of international truck drivers and police violence against them, harassment journalists, activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev and members of the PFPA.-03B06-