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Since the Azerbaijani Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (May-November 2014) and the adoption by the PACE of Resolution 2062 (2015), concerns persist regarding the human rights situation and the functioning of justice in Azerbaijan, according to the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Unanimously approving a resolution based on a report by Alain Destexhe (Belgium, ALDE) on September 5, the committee expressed concern about “the reported prosecution and detention of NGO leaders, human rights defenders, political activists, journalists, bloggers and lawyers, on the basis of alleged charges relating to their work”.

The committee notes with great concern reports https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2017/09/05/Transparency-International/1829921
linking the Azerbaijani government to a large-scale money loundering scheme occurring in the years of 2012 until 2014, used inter alia to influence the work of members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as regards the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. It urges the Azerbaijani authorities to start an independent and impartial inquiry into these allegations without delay and furthermore, cooperate fully with competent international authorities and bodies on this issue.

In spite of the reforms of the judicial system initiated by the Azerbaijani authorities, the Legal Affairs Committee is concerned about allegations of a lack of independence of the judiciary vis-à-vis the executive; the arbitrary application of criminal law; the excessive use of pre-trial detention by judges; and the problems in ensuring the rights of the defence.

In addition, the text adopted refers to allegations relating to “a restrictive climate” for extra-parliamentary activities of the opposition and “limitations on the freedoms of expression and association”, in particular with regard to independent media and advocates of freedom of expression.

The draft resolution adopted, which is to be debated in plenary on 11 October 2017, calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to continue the reforms of the judicial system and to remove the obstacles to the work of journalists and human rights defenders.