YEREVAN, 24 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The observations of Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks have been attached to the case of Hilal Mamedov vs. Azerbaijan, which is being examined at the European Court of Human Rights. In his observations, Muižnieks has emphasized the structural problems with freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, including the court persecutions against critics and the manifestations of revenge against international organizations. “The case of Hilal Mammadov, whom I met at the initial detention center in 2012 and 2013, is a case that symbolizes the persecutions against journalists, bloggers and human rights activists. Azerbaijan persecutes them with allegations that are not unjustified, are selective or criminal, and there is not enough confidence in them. This goes to show the structural problem that has an impact on the functioning of human rights defense systems and international mechanisms. It is high time for Azerbaijan to honor its commitments and restore the atmosphere in which one can express a different opinion without being afraid of pressures,” Muižnieksmentioned, as “Armenpress” reports, citing the official website of the Council of Europe.

 This document is the first of five documents that the Commissioner will be presenting in the cases related to Azerbaijan. The others will be related to Intiqam Aliyev, Rasul Jafarov, Anar Mammadli and Leyla and Arif Yunuss. The Commissioner visited Azerbaijan in November 2012, May 2013 and October 2014 and advised the Azerbaijani authorities to respect freedom of speech and the freedom of holding rallies.