PACE COMMITTEE SUPPORTS ESTONIAN MP’S PROPOSAL ON AZERBAIJAN

Baltic News Service
March 19, 2008 Wednesday 3:07 PM EET

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (ENPA) Tuesday
supported Estonian MP Andres Herkel’s proposal on drawing up an
interim report on Azerbaijan.

In May Herkel together with his co-rapporteur Yevgenia Zhivkova will
go one more time to Azerbaijan in order to draw up the report by June.

Herkel said appointment of a special rapporteur on political prisoners
would largely depend on the contents of the June report, while the
contents would depend on whether the arrested journalists and sick
prisoners are released.

"Concerning three journalists my position is that their cases are
trumped up and they must be immediately released," said Herkel,
of the conservative Pro Patria and Res Publica Union.

"Release of aged prisoners in a poor medical condition, however,
would be humanistic even if we do not come to an agreement with the
government over who is and who is not a political prisoner."

The lawmaker said that the issue of prisoners was very cumbersome and
had so far prevented dealing with other matters, such as a justice
reform and establishment of the fate of those missing after the
Karabakh War.

Of other questions the situation in Armenia came under the sharpest
scrutiny. In its statement the committee expressed concern over
continued arrests and appealed for lifting of the emergency situation.

Herkel said it was possible that an extraordinary debate would be
held on Armenia on April.

With reference to Russian elections, Andres Gross, head of the
observation mission, presented a critical overview, particularly in
connection with the pre-election atmosphere. Many speakers found that
there could be no double standards concerning Russia.

Herkel proposed inviting to Strasbourg leaders of the extraparliamentry
opposition, such as Garri Kasparaov and Mikhail Kasyanov, as it was
done in the case of Azerbaidjan and as there is an intention to act
in Armenia’s case.

Gross and the rapporteur Luc van der Brande took the proposal for
consideration.