Azerbaijani rights defenders release updated list of political prisoners

The working group on listing political prisoners, consisting of public activists, journalists, rights defenders and lawyers, has reported that today Azerbaijani prisons keep 80 political prisoners, and urged the authorities to release "prisoners of conscience".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the list of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, compiled as a result of the joint efforts of activists and civil society organizations was released on August 8, 2014, in the Facebook social network by the investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. It included the names of 97 persons. After the appearance of that list, the authorities arrested rights defender Intigam Aliev, who was also recognized to be a political prisoner; and the list increased up to 98 persons.

Later, 26 persons listed as political prisoners were released in accordance with the presidential pardon decree or because of the end of their prison terms; as well as more arrests followed.

In particular, rights defenders Emil Mamedov, Gasan Guseinli, Bashir Suleimanli and Orkhan Eyubzade, an activist of the "Musavat" Party, who later joined the "Nida" Movement, were excluded from the list of political prisoners.

Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Monitoring Centre of Political Prisoners, said that rights defenders were expecting the next pardon decree by the country's Republic Day (May 28).

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