Azerbaijani parliament decides to release over 3000 prisoners

Azerbaijani MPs have voted for the amnesty act, timed to coincide with the Victory Day in the Karabakh war in 2020. The parliament’s resolution does not solve the problem of political prisoners, human rights defenders note.

According to Ali Guseinli, First Vice-Speaker of the Azerbaijan’s Parliament, 16,000-17,000 people will be affected by the amnesty, “and maybe even more,” the APA reports. Of those 16,000-17,000 prisoners, 3000 will be released, the “Report” announces.

The expectations of amnesty for political prisoners did not come true, notes Novella Djafaroglu, a member of the Monitoring Organization of Azerbaijan Human Rights Organizations. According to her, there are prisoners who participated in the first Karabakh war and were convicted, but the amnesty will not be extended to them, although they spent 25-26 years in prisons.

“Unfortunately, concerning political prisoners, the current version of the amnesty act will affect only Alizamin Salaev, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), and Ulvi Gasanov, convicted in the Ganja case. Journalist Elchin Mamed may also be released under the amnesty. Meanwhile, the amnesty will not affect many convicts accused in the case on the events in Ganja in 2018, whose guilt was not confirmed by reliable evidence,” said Rasul Djafarov, the head of the Baku Human Rights Club.

Namizad Safarov, a coordinator of the Committee against Repression and Torture, suggests that a “golden amnesty” should be announced on the occasion of the Victory Day, which would affect a wider range of convicts.