12:17, 12 March 2020

CoE calls on Azerbaijan to strip charges and convictions from eight activists

Ilgar Mamedov. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) has demanded from Azerbaijani authorities to cancel convictions of eight applicants from the "Ilgar Mamedov group", whose rights violation was found by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The authorities have time until April 30 to fulfil this demand.

The "Ilgar Mamedov group" consists of government critics, activists and human rights defenders, who, as the ECtHR had found, had been persecuted by the authorities, the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) has stated.

The authors of the CoE's resolution recall that the applicants for this group of cases are the oppositional politician, Ilgar Mamedov; activists and rights defenders, Rasul Djafarov, Anar Mamedli, Rashad Gasanov, Zaur Gurbanly, Uzeir Mamedli, Rashadat Akhundov and Intigam Aliev.

According to Ilgar Mamedov, if Azerbaijani authorities fail to cancel their sentences by April 30, 2020, the procedure of imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan should be launched, up to the country's membership in the CoE suspension.

Rasul Djafarov, another applicant, believes that the interim resolution of the CoE's Committee of Ministers is an alert bell to the Azerbaijani government.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 11, 2020 at 11:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent