Council of Europe monitoring group visits Azeri prisons, meets rights activists
Zerkalo, Baku
20 Nov 04
Text of report by Turkan and Ceyran in Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo
on 20 November headlined “Ago Group arrives in Baku” and subheaded
“Having familiarized themselves with the human rights situation,
the guests were quick to visit prisons”
Several rights activists met the Ago Group of the Council of Europe CE
Committee of Ministers headed by Roland Wegener, the German permanent
representative at the CE, at ISR Plaza Hotel in Baku yesterday 19
November.
The group was made of ambassadors from Switzerland, Sweden, the
Netherlands and Turkey, as well as the secretary of the CE Committee of
Ministers, (?Mirel Pauls), a human rights activist, Rena Sadaddinova,
who also attended the meeting, has told Zerkalo.
The Ago Group visited Azerbaijan to monitor how the country was
fulfilling the commitments undertaken before the CE.
Sadaddinova said that the rights activists had provided the guests with
detailed information about the human rights situation in the country
and also on the political situation in Azerbaijan in general. They
said that Azerbaijan was not fulfilling the assumed commitments fully,
she said. For instance, the issue of political prisoners, including
the “October prisoners” – 33 people plus seven opposition leaders
charged with involvement in riots in the wake of the 15 October 2003
presidential elections – remains open.
The meeting also addressed the issue of the ailing political prisoners,
Sardar Hamidov, Rza Quliyev, Natiq Afandiyev, Saxavat Humbatov (from
OPON special-purpose police forces ) and Rafael Ahmadov (the case
of industrialists). “Their further remaining in custody is dangerous
for their lives,” the rights activists said.
It was said at the meeting that the law on public TV is not in line
with the CE standards. The meeting also discussed the state of courts
and the next year’s election of judges. The issue of Yeni Musavat, an
opposition newspaper that has stopped its publication due to financial
problems caused by fines, was addressed at the meeting in particular.
The Ago Group visited prison N 9 during the second half of the day
and met ex-Defence Minister Rahim Qaziyev there. Saddadinova said
that the group then visited the Bayil prison to meet Yeni Musavat’s
Editor-in-Chief Rauf Arifoglu and other opposition leaders. She also
said that today’s (yesterday’s) 19 November ruling by the Appeals
Court which upheld prison sentences for the seven opposition leaders
had driven those struggling for the release of the opposition leaders
to despair. She said that the Ago Group was informed about the unfair
court ruling.
The Ago Group’s hectic day did not stop there. Members of the group
yesterday met leaders of main opposition parties, i.e. the Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan, the Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party, the People’s
Front of Azerbaijan Party PFAP and others, the press service of the
PFAP has told Zerkalo.
The opposition party leaders criticized the country’s social and
political situation. Ali Karimli, leader of the PFAP, said that
Azerbaijan had been deviating from democratic principles over the
four years of its membership of the CE.
Interestingly, the guests were received by Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev after the meeting with the opposition leaders, Trend
reported. The issue of Azerbaijan’s commitments to democratize the
country and ensure political pluralism and the country’s relations with
the Council of Europe in all fields were discussed at the meeting. The
meeting also touched on finding a peaceful settlement to the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict and considering the issue by PACE’s Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe appropriate structures. Both sides
talked about efforts to develop cooperation in the future.