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A meeting of PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights took place in Madrid at the beginning of November. Gyulnara Akhnudova, the representative of Azerbaijan, delivered a speech concerning the repressions upon the civic society, as well as the lawlessness of the Azerbaijani government. After this speech her family members were persecuted by the authorities. PACE delegates criticised the government of Azerbaijan in this regard. The press release of the statement is posted on the PACE rapporteur of Pierre-Yves Le Borgn’s website.

As is stated in the press release, Pierre-Yves Le Borgn, the PACE reporter, invited to the meeting experts, who reported on the state of the relations between the authorities and NGOs in their countries. Gyulnara Akhundova, the Azerbaijani representative, was among the speakers. She is a human rights defender in the non-governmental organisation “International Media Support – IMS”.
According to the press release, her speech touched the topics of the hard repressions upon the civil rights activists and NGOs in Azerbaijan, impunity and the oppressive atmosphere present in the country. She also called upon PACE to demonstrate a more radical attitude towards the Azerbaijani authorities.

According to the statement, Akhudova’s 70-year-old mother was arrested and interrogated in a few days, and her house was searched at the presence of Akhudova’s child soon after. “It is hard to believe that it was just a coincidence, for Ilham Aliev’s regime does not admit criticism”, emphasised PACE delegates.

They also noted, that this kind of activities of the Azerbaijani authorities are unacceptable and contradict the core values acknowledged by PACE. “It is not a surprise that such a dictatorial and corrupt regime should commit this type of actions. A country, whose authorities continually violate human rights and arrest human right defenders, should not be allowed to chair in PACE, an organisation fighting for the defense of democracy, rule of law and human rights”, stated the delegates touching upon the topic of Azerbaijani chairmanship in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

In the January session Pierre-Yves Le Borgn’ urged his colleagues to discuss this issue urgently, with mutual efforts, decisively expressing their clear disposition.