European Parliament calls on Azerbaijani authorities to release five rights defenders

Today, the European Parliament has disseminated an appeal addressed to Azerbaijani authorities urging to immediately release Arif and Leyla Yunus, Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliev and Gasan Guseinli.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that all the above activists of Azerbaijani human rights organizations have been criminally prosecuted.

Today, the European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have urged Azerbaijani authorities to "immediately start implementing long-overdue reforms in the area of human rights, to stop harassing civil society organizations, oppositional politicians and independent journalists, and to lift the ban on demonstrations in Baku," says the official message posted on the website of the European Parliament.

The MEPs have condemned the arrests of Arif and Leyla Yunus, Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliev and Gasan Guseinli, calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

The very text of the resolution has not yet been published, but the official Baku has already commented on the European Parliament's decision, treating it as biased.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.