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Secretary General of Council of Europe concerned by the recent events
in Azerbaijan
12:31, 9 February, 2013
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Council of Europe continues to
express its concern over recent events taking place in Azerbaijan. As
reports Armenpress, referring to the official website of Council of
Europe, reacting to the decision today of the Baku Court of Appeal to
maintain in detention two human rights activists, Secretary General
Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement:
`I am concerned by the recent events in Azerbaijan and the
heavy-handed response of the police to protests. I am particularly
disturbed by the arrest on 4 February of Tofig Yagublu and Ilgar
Mammadov, in relation to recent events in Ismayilli.
Mr Mammadov is the Director of the Baku School of Political Studies, a
close co-operation partner of the Council of Europe. Today's decision
of the Baku Court of Appeal not to release these two men and its
refusal to allow the Council of Europe's representative to be present
during the Court proceedings is of particular gravity.
I call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to respect the fundamental
principles and legally-binding standards of the European Convention of
Human Rights, which they have undertaken to uphold when joining the
Council of Europe.'
Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC),
monitoring co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), have expressed their deep concern at
recent worrying developments in Azerbaijan, including the detention,
trial and sentencing of peaceful demonstrators and the arrest of
opposition politicians.
"There have been most worrying reports about unfair court hearings and
alleged ill-treatment of some detainees," said the co-rapporteurs,
referring to the detention of around 80 peaceful demonstrators in Baku
on 26 January, following a peaceful protest against the authorities'
violent dispersal of another, larger protest in the northern city of
Ismayili three days earlier. Thirty of the Baku demonstrators were
charged and five were sentenced to prison.
They also expressed their concern at the arrests, on charges of
inciting the Ismayili protests, of two opposition politicians - the
leader of the Republican Alternative movement Ilgar Mammadov, and the
deputy head of the Musavat Party Tofiq Yaqubli. Mr Mammadov, who is
also Director of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in
Baku, plans to run for president in elections foreseen in October
2013. They will remain in police custody for two months awaiting
trial, and could face up to three years in jail. "These arrests give
rise to justified doubts and legitimate concerns," said the
co-rapporteurs. "We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to use all
available legal tools to release these arrested opposition
politicians."
Mr Agramunt and Mr Debono Grech also recalled that Azerbaijan must
comply with the obligations and commitments that the country undertook
upon its accession to the Council of Europe.
From: A. Papazian
in Azerbaijan
12:31, 9 February, 2013
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Council of Europe continues to
express its concern over recent events taking place in Azerbaijan. As
reports Armenpress, referring to the official website of Council of
Europe, reacting to the decision today of the Baku Court of Appeal to
maintain in detention two human rights activists, Secretary General
Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement:
`I am concerned by the recent events in Azerbaijan and the
heavy-handed response of the police to protests. I am particularly
disturbed by the arrest on 4 February of Tofig Yagublu and Ilgar
Mammadov, in relation to recent events in Ismayilli.
Mr Mammadov is the Director of the Baku School of Political Studies, a
close co-operation partner of the Council of Europe. Today's decision
of the Baku Court of Appeal not to release these two men and its
refusal to allow the Council of Europe's representative to be present
during the Court proceedings is of particular gravity.
I call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to respect the fundamental
principles and legally-binding standards of the European Convention of
Human Rights, which they have undertaken to uphold when joining the
Council of Europe.'
Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC),
monitoring co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), have expressed their deep concern at
recent worrying developments in Azerbaijan, including the detention,
trial and sentencing of peaceful demonstrators and the arrest of
opposition politicians.
"There have been most worrying reports about unfair court hearings and
alleged ill-treatment of some detainees," said the co-rapporteurs,
referring to the detention of around 80 peaceful demonstrators in Baku
on 26 January, following a peaceful protest against the authorities'
violent dispersal of another, larger protest in the northern city of
Ismayili three days earlier. Thirty of the Baku demonstrators were
charged and five were sentenced to prison.
They also expressed their concern at the arrests, on charges of
inciting the Ismayili protests, of two opposition politicians - the
leader of the Republican Alternative movement Ilgar Mammadov, and the
deputy head of the Musavat Party Tofiq Yaqubli. Mr Mammadov, who is
also Director of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in
Baku, plans to run for president in elections foreseen in October
2013. They will remain in police custody for two months awaiting
trial, and could face up to three years in jail. "These arrests give
rise to justified doubts and legitimate concerns," said the
co-rapporteurs. "We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to use all
available legal tools to release these arrested opposition
politicians."
Mr Agramunt and Mr Debono Grech also recalled that Azerbaijan must
comply with the obligations and commitments that the country undertook
upon its accession to the Council of Europe.
From: A. Papazian