New human rights organization established in Azerbaijan

The Committee for the Protection of Victims of Cross-Border Persecutions and Repressions has been created due to increased pressure on critics of the course of the Azerbaijani authorities both at home and abroad, the founders of the new human rights organization have explained.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 14, in France, an attack was committed on Mukhammad (Mukhammed) Mirzali, an Azerbaijani oppositional blogger. Human rights defenders have linked the assassination attempt on Mirzali with his statements about Azerbaijani authorities. Earlier, on June 1, the parents of Tural Sadygly, an Azerbaijani political emigrant and blogger, said that his life was in danger. Alovsat Sadygly, his father, said that the Azerbaijani authorities had sent killers to Europe.

The above Committee for the Protection of Victims of Cross-Border Persecutions and Repressions has been set up during an online meeting of Azerbaijani activists living abroad, human rights defenders and political prisoners' family members, says the press release of the new committee received by the "Caucasian Knot".

The committee will operate as a part of the Tbilisi-based Institute for the Protection of Rights and Freedoms, also founded by Azerbaijani activists. Avtandil Mamedli, an Azeri political emigrant living in Georgia, was elected as the head of the committee.

According to Mamedli, the committee will collect materials on administrative and criminal persecutions of activists, journalists, bloggers, on torturing them, and provide advice to victims' families in organizing defence, making public violations of rights of those arrested, and informing international organizations about these facts.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2022 at 03:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.