17:40, 20 December 2007

PACE considers appointing Rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan

The today's session of the Monitoring Committee of the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) in Paris has discussed the issue of appointing Special Rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

Human rights activist Novella Dzhafaroglu has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that signatures were collected among the members of the Monitoring Committee on this issue.

In his turn, Samed Seidov, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PACE, has stated that Rapporteurs should cooperate with the state structures of Azerbaijan, therefore, since the state is against the appointment, "this cooperation will fail, and the Rapporteur's work will be inefficient."

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent