Rights defenders call Baku to release political prisoners by European Games

Today, 100 days before the start of the European Olympic Games in Baku, international human rights organizations have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release political prisoners; and the international community – to influence the official Baku in this issue.

It is planned to hold first ever European Olympic Games in Baku on June 12-28, 2015.

The political prisoners in question are the investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, the head of the "Legal Education Society" Intigam Aliev, the Director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD) Leyla Yunus and her husband, an IPD employee Arif Yunus, and the head of the Human Rights Club Rasul Jafarov.

"Persecution of journalists, rights defenders and other activists by the government is clearly defying the spirit and letter of the Olympic Charter on the press freedom and human dignity," said Jane Buchanan, the director of the Human Rights Watch's bureau for Europe and Central Asia, who is quoted as saying in the statement of the organization released today published on its website.

The HRW called on European leaders to warn Baku that in case of non-release of the activists arrested for their free and oppositional thinking, they will not send their high-level delegations to the Games.

The international human rights organization "Amnesty International" has also called on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all "prisoners of conscience" and to fully and impartially investigate all allegations of ill-treatment.

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