PACE warns Azerbaijani authorities not to use quarantine for abuses against activists

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteurs for monitoring in Azerbaijan expressed their concern over the increased prosecution of critics of the authorities in the country. The PACE rapporteurs warned the authorities of Azerbaijan to "refrain from any abuse of measures intended to fight the coronavirus pandemic to muzzle political opposition."

Stefan Schennach (Austria) and Sir Roger Gale (United Kingdom), PACE rapporteurs for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, have "expressed their concern at the crackdown on critics of the authorities under the guise of combating the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the safety of political prisoners."

"We have received numerous reports of large-scale repression of government opponents and restrictions on freedom of expression, including Internet access, under the pretext of safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic," declare the PACE rapporteurs in their joint statement released by the PACE's website on May 14.

The PACE rapporteurs for the monitoring of Azerbaijan note that over 15 opposition activists and journalists have been sentenced to administrative arrests of up to 30 days on charges that include breaking the quarantine regime or disobeying police orders.

The PACE representatives called on the Azerbaijani authorities to "comply strictly with the country's international obligations regarding the protection of freedom of expression and to refrain from any abuse of measures intended to fight the coronavirus pandemic to muzzle political opposition."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 15, 2020 at 02:17 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.