Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   19 March 2024

European Parliament adopts resolution on persecution of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan

European Parliament adopts resolution on persecution of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: The European Parliament has issued a statement on persecution of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan, Armenpress reports. Chairman of Armenia’s NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan said that a number of points of the document directly concern Armenia.

In the statement the European Parliament condemns Azerbaijan’s attempts of breaking the relations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society, youth organizations and intellectuals. The promotion of similar relations gets importance especially regarding the Karabakh conflict.

The European parliament also condemns in the strongest possible terms the arrest and detention of Leyla Yunus, Arif Yunus, Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliyev and Hasan Huseyni, and demands their immediate and unconditional release as well as the withdrawal of all charges against them.The Parliament reiterates its call on the Azerbaijani government to take concrete steps to improve the human rights situation in the country as a matter of urgent priority, including immediately and unconditionally releasing all political prisoners and ceasing politically motivated arrests.

It also calls on  the Azerbaijani authorities to cease their harassment and intimidation of civil society organisations, opposition politicians and independent journalists and to refrain from interfering in or undermining their valuable work for the development of democracy in Azerbaijan; also calls on them to ensure that all detainees, including journalists and political and civil society activists, enjoy their full rights to due process, in particular access to a lawyer of their choosing, access to their families, and other fair trial norms.

The European Parliament stresses that its consent to the signature of a partnership agreement with Azerbaijan will be conditional on the satisfactory reflection of the above-mentioned requirements, the release of human rights defenders, the withdrawal of legislation restricting the operations of independent civil society, and the cessation of repression and intimidation of NGOs, independent media, opposition forces, human rights defenders and youth and social network activists.

The European Parliament recalls its position of 24 May 2012, and calls on the Council to consider the possibility of targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations, should these persist.

“Next year the Olympic Games will be held in Azerbaijan. The Parliament calls on the International Olympic Committee to require press freedom in the entire territory of the country, as well as to stop the pressures on the mass media,” said Mr Zakaryan.

“We can conclude from today’s statement that the key issue of the people of South Caucasus is the Azerbaijani administration,” he noted.

 








youtube

AIM banner Website Ad Banner.jpg (235 KB)

All news    


Digital-Card---250x295.jpg (26 KB)

12.png (9 KB)

About agency

Address: Armenia, 22 Saryan Street, Yerevan, 0002, Armenpress
Tel.: +374 11 539818
E-mail: [email protected]