The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has welcomed the unhindered access it had to places of detention in Azerbaijan during its resumed visit, while calling on the authorities to do more to protect the rights of people deprived of their liberty.
The SPT’s visit, from 16 to 24 April, went ahead six months after the previous visit was suspended amid lack of official co-operation.
“The Azerbaijani Government this time enabled unhindered access to places of deprivation of liberty,” said Aisha Shujune Muhammad, head of the SPT delegation. "However, the State party has yet to guarantee all fundamental legal and procedural safeguards to persons deprived of their liberty, including access to a lawyer, a medical doctor, and to contact his or her family,” she added.
The four-member SPT delegation on Friday presented their confidential preliminary observations to the State authorities on how to strengthen the protection of persons deprived of their liberty against torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The UN group of experts visited places of deprivation of liberty throughout the country, including in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. These included police stations, pre-trial and temporary detention centres, investigative isolation units of the Ministry of National Security, prisons, psychiatric hospitals and social care institutions.
Members of the delegation carried out private and confidential interviews with law enforcement officials, medical staff and persons deprived of their liberty. The SPT delegation also met relevant Azerbaijani authorities, members of its independent monitoring body, known as a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) and representatives of civil society.
Following the visit, the SPT will submit a confidential report to the Government of Azerbaijan, containing its observations and recommendations.
“We hope, and expect, that the Government of Azerbaijan will use our report to enhance prevention of torture and other ill-treatment, as well as to further improve conditions in which people may be deprived of their liberty,” said Ms. Muhammad. As with all other States, the SPT is encouraging Azerbaijan to make this report public.
The SPT delegation was composed of Ms. Aisha Shujune Muhammad (Head of Delegation), Mr. Milos Jankovic, Ms. Margarete Suzuko Osterfeld, and Mr. Victor Zaharia (Focal Point for Reprisals). -0-
Social
-
The International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR) and Forum 2000 Foundation expressed grave concerns over the escalating repression of civil society in Azerbaijan, issuing a joint statement. The groups highlighted the government's intensified crackdown on lawyers, journalists, activists, and human rights defenders, painting a stark picture of a country where dissenting voices are systematically silenced.
-
The Times Higher Education (THE), a leading international organization with an audience of 60 million and ranked among the world's top 100 networks in the field of education and skills assessment, has published a comprehensive article titled “Calls for the Release of Azerbaijani Scholar as Climate Summit Begins.” THE, known for its annual ranking of world universities, notes that while a major fossil fuel producer hosts a gathering of global leaders, it is cracking down on dissenters. Human rights groups are urging the Azerbaijani government, which is hosting the COP29 climate conference, to release a scholar detained after criticizing fossil fuel policies.
-
On Thursday, overcast weather is expected in the capital will be overcast, with light rain possible in the morning. There will be a moderate southeast wind. The temperature at night will be between +8 and +10°C, and during the day, it will range from +12 to +15°C. Humidity will be 65-75% both at night and during the day. Precipitation will occur in the eastern part of the country. There may be fog in some areas, with a moderate east wind.
-
On November 12, the summit of world leaders commenced at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku. According to "Euronews," citing sources from the UN, the event is attended by around 100 heads of state.
Leave a review