PACE rapporteur condemns refusal to let opposition take part in elections in Azerbaijan

The fact that Ilgar Mamedov and several other former political prisoners were not allowed to take part in the parliamentary elections proves the "increasingly undemocratic nature" of the regime and "creates a legal and political crisis of unprecedented gravity" in the implementation by Azerbaijan of the judgments pronounced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), says Sunna Thorhildur Ævarsdottir, rapporteur on reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Sunna Thorhildur Ævarsdottir made a corresponding statement on January 14.

"At the beginning of December (2019, ‑ note of the 'Caucasian Knot'), the CE Committee of Ministers called on Azerbaijan to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights by ensuring that Ilgar Mamedov and other former political prisoners could stand as candidates in the next parliamentary elections. Azerbaijan's failure to fulfil this binding obligation shows contempt for the authority of the Court and the Committee of Ministers and disdain for the rule of law. By excluding genuine opposition from the electoral process, the current regime reveals its increasingly undemocratic nature," recalled Ms Ævarsdottir.

According to the PACE rapporteur, "the new failure creates a legal and political crisis of unprecedented gravity" in fulfilling the country's binding obligations. "The Committee of Ministers must now decide what further action to take," Ms Ævarsdottir concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 15, 2020 at 00:31 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.