Azerbaijani human rights activist call the authorities to release all political prisoners

The situation in Azerbaijan with human rights remains a concern, conclude the participants of the roundtable held with involvement of the leading human rights activists of the country on February 24 at the Baku Media Centre. On results of discussions, a document was adopted containing an appeal to the authorities to release all political prisoners.

The meeting was organized under the initiative of the International Legal Organization in Defence of Freedom and Peace (ILODFP), founded in the end of 2008 in Baku.

Matlab Mutallimli, leader of the organization and former MP of Azerbaijan, expressed his concern about the state of things with human rights in Azerbaijan. According to his version, "a significant part of the population suffer from arbitrariness of officials, red tape and bureaucracy," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Mr Mutallimli also has noted violations of citizens' labour rights - unemployment. Recently, as a result of crisis phenomena in economy, the living standards of the population went down. He also emphasized the growth of facts "of police brutality, arrests and conviction of innocent people, and non-enforcement of judgements."

Elchin Bekhbudov, head of the Committee against Torture, stated facts of torture in law enforcement bodies and power agencies of the country. According to his version, torture is applied during preliminary investigation. Unfortunately, facts of torture in Azerbaijan are hidden and not investigated. According to Mr Bekhbudov, in 2008 at least three persons died from torture. However, as he emphasized, the government officials would not admit these facts.

Novella Dzhafaroglu, head of the Society in Defence of Women's Rights named after Dilyara Alieva, noted the need to consolidate efforts of human rights organizations in fighting for human rights. She especially noted the arbitrariness of bosses of local bodies in regions of the country.

Saadat Bananyarly, Chair of the Azerbaijani Subdivision of the International Society in Defence of Human Rights, brought to the focus the problem of convicted journalists and scanty pensions that most of the country's pensioners receive.

Aliovsat Aliev, head of the Azerbaijani Migration Centre, told about the problems of migrants, lacks in the fight against trafficking in humans. He stated the falsity of the statements made by officials that Azerbaijan got transformed from the country exporting migrants into the country of immigrants.

According to Mr Aliev, the majority of those who leave Azerbaijan do it because of absence of guarantees of their property safety, restrictions on their political and economic rights and other problems.

As to the struggle against trafficking in humans, 80 percent of defendants in these cases are women, while patrons of this criminal network escape responsibility. According to Aliev, "not a single official has ever been brought to responsibility for trafficking in humans." Besides, judgements on paying compensations to trafficking victims are not enforced.

By the results of the debates, a document was adopted with an appeal to the authorities to release all political prisoners, including journalists Einullah Fatullaev, Ganimat Zakhid and Mirza Sakit.

The roundtable participants addressed President Ilham Aliev to ensure the observance of the law on the order of considering statements and complaints of citizens, and respect of inviolability of property rights, and to forbid demolition of real estate without court judgements.

The document is also stressing the antidemocratic character of the amendment offered to the Constitution on cancelling the restriction of no more than 2 terms for one person as the country's President in a row.