Azerbaijani authorities treat AI's report on situation in the country as biased

As stated by Elnur Aslanov, the head of the Division for Political Analysis and Information Support of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, the international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) uses outdated methodology to compile its reports on the human rights situation; therefore, there is no need to discuss its reports. At the same time, Azerbaijani human rights activists believe that the AI's conclusions are correct.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the AI's report published on May 23 criticized violations of democratic freedoms in Azerbaijan. Peaceful protests are banned and dispersed by the police with excessive use of force. Torture by the police is a commonplace, the AI's report states.

Elnur Aslanov told reporters that he did not take seriously the AI's statements on Azerbaijan. According to his version, "the statements of the organizations like the AI are based on the methodology, which was formed 40 years ago, during the Cold War."

At the same time, the MIA of Azerbaijan could not comment on the part of the report referring to the facts of torture of citizens by the police and dispersals of protest actions.

"While such reports of international organizations are biased and prejudiced, in order to comment on the new AI's report we should carefully read the text. The information in the media is not enough," explained the MIA.

"Unfortunately, the practice of using torture in places of citizens' detention continues. However, it is not as widespread as it was in the 1990s. Often, notions are mixed up, and actions related to poor and inhuman treatment are treated as torture," Elchin Bekhbudov, the head of the Azerbaijan Committee against Torture, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Leila Yunus, the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), fully agrees with the AI's estimates. In her view, torture and inhumane treatment are commonplace in the practice of law enforcement and security bodies. Very often it occurs in relation to those arrested for political reasons; and sometimes it ends tragically for political prisoners.

In his turn, Elchin Namazov, the head of the Institute of Human Rights and Freedoms, said that yet another political prisoner can fall victim to ill-treatment.

"On May 8, Rufulla Akhundzade, an activist of the Islamic Party, suffered a myocardial infarction in the colony and needs high-quality care. However, the medical unit of the Ministry of Justice has no conditions for rendering the required health care to Akhundzade. That is why he should be released and placed into one of specialized clinics," said Namazov.

Otherwise, Akhundzade can follow the fate of Vagif Abdullaev, the deputy head of the Islamic Party, who was convicted together with him. The human rights activist recalled that Abdullaev died last summer in a prison hospital.

Rasul Djafarov, the head of the Human Rights Club (HRC), believes that torture and ill-treatment are used "not only to knock out confessions, but also as a revenge for one's political activities."

The lawyer Asabali Mustafaev points to the practice of obtaining confessions from political activists immediately after their detention.