Human Rights Club: there is widespread and systematic human rights violation in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan marks International Human Rights Day, with 142 political prisoners, and they must be released, the statement of the Human Rights Club read, issued on the occasion of World Human Rights Day. As the Azerbaijani news agency Turan reports the statement expresses deep concerns about the widespread and systematic violations of human rights in Azerbaijan.
The statement noted increasing pressure on independent NGOs, and more than 1,000 NGOs are unable to obtain state registration. At the same time the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDSC) is being prosecuted for having conducted the monitoring of the presidential election in Azerbaijan.
The statement also contains an appeal to the international community to demand from the Azerbaijani authorities a respect for their international obligations in the field of human rights. This is especially important on the eve of the country's chairmanship in the CE’s Committee of Ministers in May 2014.