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In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. He was not welcomed well. Several human rights organizations learnt about the upcoming visit of President Aliyev, made critical statements, and organized a protest rally in front of the Federal Chancellery, writes the German edition of “Deutsche Welle”.

As noted in the article, according to the calculations of the human rights organization “Amnesty International”, in the prisons of Azerbaijan there are at least 22 political prisoners, including the well-known Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus who is abroad, and journalist Khadija Ismayilova. "We expect that the Federal Chancellor in conversation with President Aliyev will clearly condemn the Azerbaijani government the abuse of its opponents," said the general secretary of the German headquarter of “Amnesty International” Selmin Caliskan.

The publication writes that the human rights activists believe that Merkel should demand the release of all political prisoners in Azerbaijan during the talks with Aliyev, instead of "continuing giving preferences to German and European economic interests and not freedom of speech and assembly."

As stated in the article, defenders of the Human Rights Watch addressed with a similar appeal to the Chancellor of Germany. According to the organization, only in 2014 in Azerbaijan were arrested and jailed more than 30 dissidents. "Merkel should not miss the chance to demand the Azerbaijani president, in both public and in private conversation, to stop the human rights violations," said the head of the European and Central Asian branch of “Human Rights Watch” Williamson. In his opinion, Germany should not send a high-level governmental delegation to the upcoming the first ever European games in Baku this year, if the human rights situation in the country is not improved.

“Deutsche Welle” notes that the participants of the "European Platform for Democratic Elections" with the human rights organization "Reporters without Borders" met Azerbaijani President with a picket in front of the Federal Chancellery. They unfurled banners, raised pictures of political prisoners and chanted in Russian and English languages: "Stop the dictator Aliyev", "For Azerbaijan without political prisoners", "For democratic Azerbaijan without Aliyev", "Stop supporting dictatorial regimes."

"The protesters have occupied a position in advance, waiting for the president’s escort. Aliyev could not miss the protesters. But he didn’t avoid the theme of human rights violations in Azerbaijan in the Federal Chancellery too," the newspaper writes, adding that the Chancellor and the President discussed also the geopolitical situation in the region, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, in the settlement of which Berlin is ready to participate.

According to the publication, to the list of the issues of the bilateral relations, which Merkel called "important for us" she added also the subject on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. "Ilham Aliyev, apparently, does not consider this issue important. Anyway, in his response, he did not touch it at all," reads the Deutsche Welle, noting that when the German journalists reminded Aliyev, and one asked whether the fact that in the list of the ranking of press freedom Azerbaijan takes only the 160th place out of all countries of the world doesn’t bother the president, the president went on to assert that "Azerbaijan has no problem with a rating of freedom of the press."

As stated in the article, Aliyev said that all human rights are respected in their country, but Angela Merkel noted in this connection that Azerbaijan is a member of the Council of Europe and, therefore, it is ought to protect human rights and adhere to the norms of democracy and the rule of law. "We think that there are cases in the field of human rights, and we have talked about them, that cause our criticism," reminded the Chancellor, also adding that they still have differences of opinion in the issue of work process on a sound of legal basis for German foundations and organizations in Azerbaijan.

According to the article, one of the journalists finally spoiled the mood the President of Azerbaijan. "When the press conference was over, and Merkel with Aliyev began to pose for photographers, he jumped up from his seat and started calling loud and long that President of Azerbaijan released the political prisoners. Security officers of the Chancellor gave him to speak out," Deutsche Welle reads.

As the Azerbaijani news agency "Turan" writes, this journalist turned to be the famous Azerbaijani blogger and political emigrant Habib Muntezir. "President Aliyev, release the political prisoners!" "I demand freedom for political prisoners!" he shouted several times at the closure of the press conference, the agency informs.