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PACE debates the intensification of repression in Azerbaijan

The Parliamentary Assembly – meeting as the Standing Committee – today held a current affairs debate on the topic "The intensification of repression in Azerbaijan: the situation of political prisoners, threats to democratic freedoms and parliamentary rights" during its meeting in Luxembourg.

“Faced with the intensification of repression in Azerbaijan, it is legitimate to question its commitment to the principles of the Council of Europe,” said Gusty Graas (Luxembourg, ALDE), opening the debate. “The human rights situation in Azerbaijan is precarious and seems to be getting worse.”

He again raised the cases of the numerous journalists, activists and human rights defenders imprisoned in Azerbaijan for political reasons, including the cases of Gubad Ibadoghlu, whose health is seriously declining, and 2014 Václav Havel Prize winner Anar Mammadli.