Members of international organizations call for boycott of European Games in Baku

Several dozen rights defenders, politicians, and experts from various countries have made an appeal to leaders of states and called for a boycott of the European Games in Baku in connection with the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani authorities claim that persons, who do not want independent development of the country, make an attempt to put pressure on Azerbaijan.

The call to boycott the European Games in Baku and to impose sanctions against Azerbaijani officials is contained in the open letter prepared by 45 members of international human rights organizations, politicians, and experts from various countries to leaders of states and the international community.

The letter reports on the "appalling human rights situation in Azerbaijan," outlines the reasons and justification of the appeals, mentions names of political prisoners and details of their cases, the portal "contact.az" reported on April 14, without mentioning the names of persons, who signed the document.

According to the "contact.az", the letter contains the following demands: Western governments should introduce a visa ban on top-ranking officials of Azerbaijan, responsible for human rights violations; stop economic cooperation with public institutions of Azerbaijan; organize a boycott of the European Games in Baku by state leaders; and organize parliamentary hearings on the situation in Azerbaijan.

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