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The decree of pardon signed by Azerbaijan’s president did not solve the problem of the convicts in the country. Although a number of activists and journalists were released, 90 percent of the political prisoners is still remaining in custody, Caucasian Knot reports. 

Elshan Hasanov, the head of the Centre for Monitoring of Political Prisoners, had earlier submitted a list of 107 political prisoners to the Commission on Pardon under the president. The pardon, however, applied only to a small part of the prisoners included in the list.

“The list of those pardoned failed to include the leader of the Republican Alternative movement, Ilgar Mammadov, and the former health minister, Ali Insanov, while there is also a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights concerning their cases. Leyla and Arif Yunus couple was not pardoned, either. Although their prison sentence was substituted with a conditional release, they cannot go abroad for treatment. The journalist Khadija Ismayilova also remains in prison, being the only woman political prisoner at the moment,” Hasanov said.

He added that the pardon dashed the hopes the rights defenders and the society had, as at least 65 or 70 political prisoners were expected to be pardoned. “Unfortunately, there is none of the ‘believer activists’ category among those pardoned, although it is the largest group of political prisoners,” the head of the organisation said.

Samir Kazimli, the coordinator of the Alliance for Defence of Political Freedom, said the decree of pardon is incomplete. The head of the social alliance Azerbaijan Without Political Prisoners, Ogtay Gulaliyev, called it a “very little step against the backdrop of big expectations.” “Only 10 percent of the political prisoners were released. The authorities included none of the convicted members of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party. Some people with similar criminal charges were release and the others not,” he pointed out. “They release ones but new prisoners appear. In particular, the religious activists arrested on the case of Taleh Bagirzade, the leader of the Muslims Unity movement. That is why the number of the political prisoners in Azerbaijan has been remaining around 100 for five or six years already.”

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, welcomed  the release of the 14 political prisoners. “We also urge the government to release the remaining individuals widely considered to have been incarcerated for exercising similar freedoms and to end restrictions placed on the movement of those released.”

Richard Kauzlarich, former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Turan news agency that “as long as between 80 and 90 other political prisoners remain unjustly deprived of their freedoms, this is not the time to see these releases as a turn away from authoritarianism in Azerbaijan.” More importantly, he said the US Government should not “reward” the regime with either praise for releasing people who should not have been arrested in the first place, or with high-level meetings with Azerbaijani officials. "If we do, we turn these poor people into hostages — bargaining chips in the Azerbaijan regime’s effort to gain political and economic benefits from the US and Europe."

Christopher Smith, the chairman of US Helsinki Commission, made a statement  regarding the pardon. “I am relieved to know that these wrongly-held prisoners will be home with their families soon, but I remain concerned about the plight of the many other prisoners in Azerbaijan who are being held on politically-motivated charges. Anar Mammadli, the founder of an independent election monitoring group, was released, but he should have never been in prison. There are many others who should be released as well,” the statement says. “I respectfully request President Aliyev to not only release all political prisoners, but also repeal the many undemocratic laws and regulations that prohibit the exercise of universally-recognized human rights in Azerbaijan.”

Notably, Chris Smith is the author of the Azerbaijan Democracy Act of 2015, a bill that will impose sanctions on senior members of the Azerbaijani government unless the political prisoners are released and the harassment of civil society ends.

Turan reports that Congressman Eliot L. Engel, ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also made a statement calling on our the US presidential administration to urge President Aliyev, when he visits Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit in two weeks, to free the other political prisoners, as well.

According to AFP, European Parliament vice-president Alexander Graf Lambsdorff called the release of opposition activists "a sign that the Azeri government is interested in restoring relations with the EU by respecting such fundamental rights as freedom of speech and assembly." But other prisoners need to be released as well, he added.
Haqqin.az reports that Rauf Mirkadirov, the Azerbaijani journalist who was released with the decision of Baku Court of Appeal, believes his arrest was planned by the former leadership of the Security Ministry.

“They may have appeared in a network of foreign special services and become unintentional participant of a large-scale operation against Azerbaijan with me becoming a tiny element of it,” Mirkadirov said. He added that he intends to achieve a full justification.

According to Turan, Mirkadirov called his 23-month stay in solitary confinement a “hard test.” He was deprived of human communication and, first of all, was unaware of his family. His father’s death after a search conducted in their flat was an especially hard shock for him. The journalist needs a serious treatment, as he has serious health problems. Mirkadirov said he would like to join his family abroad; however, the restrictions of the conditional release are an obstacle.

According to Vesti.az, Mirkadirov said he intends to continue his work as a journalist after a little rest.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree of pardon on March 17 due to which a part of the almost 100 political prisoners was released. Rashad Hasanov, Mohammed Azizov, RashadatAkhundov, activists of the movement NIDA; TofigYagublu and YadigarSadigli, deputy chairmen of the party Musavat; rights defenders RasulJafarov, TalehKhasmammadov, AnarMammadli and HilalMammadov; oppositionist NeimatPanahli; blogger Omar Mammadov; SirajKarimli, who was recognised a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International; AkifMuradverdiyev, former head of the Executive Office of the President; and the journalist ParvizHashimliare among the pardoned prisoners.