Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku, in Azeri
11 Mar 04

Azeri ombudsman urges interior chief to prevent police mistreatment

[Presenter in studio] Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova has appealed to
Interior Minister Ramil Usubov over the rude treatment of citizens by
the police. The Azerbaijani rights activist has sent another appeal
to her Hungarian counterpart.

[Correspondent] The ombudsman is expected to report on the human
rights situation at the Milli Maclis at the end of this month.
According to Azerbaijani ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova, her
institution has discovered that employees of the law-enforcement
bodies maltreat citizens. In this connection, an appeal has been sent
to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

[Suleymanova] We don’t have information that people are being
tortured by the police, but there is rude treatment. Our appeal also
concerns general improvements in the work of the police and the role
it can play in restoring human rights and in cooperating with the
ombudsman’s institute.

[Correspondent] The ombudsman also said that she had appealed to her
Hungarian counterpart asking for assistance in ensuring a fair trial
for Ramil Safarov who is suspected of killing an Armenian officer in
Budapest.

[Suleymanova] We have appealed to the Hungarian ombudsman over Ramil
Safarov’s case and I hope that this can contribute to the fair trial
of our citizen.