CoE Commissioner appeals to ECtHR concerning Intigam Aliev's case

On March 18, Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, disseminated the text of his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning the case against Intigam Aliev and continuing harassment of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Intigam Aliev, the head of the non-profit organization (NPO) "Society of Legal Education", was detained on August 8, 2014. Initially, he was accused of tax evasion and illegal entrepreneurship, but in December 2014 the charges were supplemented by an article about a large-scale embezzlement.

In the document consisting of 50 paragraphs, the Commissioner for Human Rights expresses his concern over the situation of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. He notes that prosecution of critical voices is widespread in Azerbaijan and points out to the difficulties created for NGOs criticizing the government and pressure on them up to prosecution of activists. "In Azerbaijan, the problems with human rights are not solved, despite large efforts of international organizations," Nils Muižnieks states.

The Commissioner has recalled how in October 2014, he visited human rights defender Intigam Aliev in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of Kyurdakhany. According to Nils Muižnieks, Intigam Aliev is one of the most famous lawyers of Azerbaijan and long-term partners of the CoE.

Djavad Djavadov, an advocate of Intigam Aliev, has noted the importance of the appeal filed by the CoE's Commissioner to the ECtHR. "This appeal will contribute to understanding by judges of the political context of the events surrounding the Azerbaijani civil society and motives for prosecution of Intigam Aliev," Djavad Djavadov has said.

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