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The Council of Europe's human rights chief has touched upon the human rights situation in Azerbaijan in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

"Azerbaijan has a very dire human rights situation," said Nils Muiznieks, the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe. "Human rights defenders, independent bloggers, and journalists are under enormous pressures there, and there was a time when all of my primary partners in the country were behind bars on trumped-up charges."

Muiznieks said he had tried unsuccessfully to speak with Azerbaijani officials about the rights situation.

"I've decided that the more effective way would be to talk with the Azerbaijani authorities through the European Court of Human Rights, so I intervened systematically on cases of [human rights] defenders there -- seven different cases -- as well as through analyzing the situation through the media, through the Western media, to try to affect public opinion and elite opinion in other Council of Europe member states," he said.

"Regardless of the violations that we documented, I saw a lack of political will on the part of other member states to…make Azerbaijan accountable. And that still is the case, largely. There is some small movement there, but I think Azerbaijan is not living up to its obligations."