02/02/2012 Monitoring
Strasbourg, 02.02.2012 - Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteurs on Azerbaijan, Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC) visited Baku from 31 January to 2 February 2012 in the framework of the monitoring procedure.
They held meetings with the Chairman Of Milli Mejlis and the leadership of political parties represented in the Parliament, with the Minister of Justice, Prosecutor General and the Head of the Presidential Administration as well as with the Deputy Chair of the Supreme Court and the Ombudsperson. They also met representatives of some opposition parties which have no seats in the Parliament, journalists and representatives of civil society. Moreover they held a meeting with Prof. Hasanli representing Fahhrad Alliev, a former Minister of Economy imprisoned since 2005, and his brother Rafig Alliev. They visited prison nr 17 and met two people imprisoned following the demonstration of 2 April 2011. Furthermore, they visited the refugee and IDPs settlement in Baku and met a Deputy Head of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs.
During the meetings they discussed, inter alia, recent amendments to the law on NGOs, planned amendments to the law on political parties, prospects for adoption of laws on defamation and alternative service, concerns with regard to the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of religion, execution of ECHR's judgments and some issues with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict including the situation of almost 1 million refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan and expressed their concern about continued loss of lives in the border areas.
Furthermore, in the light of the forthcoming presidential elections due next year, the rapporteurs stressed the need to improve political environment to enable fair competition between political forces and enhance political pluralism in the country. They also called on the Azerbaijani authorities to address the shortcomings of the present electoral code, in particular with regard to the composition of electoral commissions, as recommended by the Parliamentary Assembly, in time for the next elections.
With regard to the demolitions in Baku they called on the authorities for more transparency in the process and fair compensation for the owners.
During the meeting with the authorities, the rapporteurs raised the question of 16 persons jailed following the demonstrations of 2 April 2011, and expressed the firm hope that they will be liberated very soon in compliance with Azerbaijani legal procedures.
The report on the fulfillment of obligations and commitments by Azerbaijan will be presented to the Parliamentary Assembly in the course of 2012.