24 April 2014, 07:50
CoE Commissioner calls on Azerbaijani authorities to respect human rights
Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (CoE), has expressed his concern over the deterioration of the situation with democratic freedoms in Azerbaijan. He has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to comply with their international obligations in the sphere of human rights, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.
On April 23, Nils Muižnieks promulgated the "Observations on human rights situation in Azerbaijan: update on freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, and right to property."
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in August 2013, after his visit to Azerbaijan, Nils Muižnieks claimed that residents of the country "continue to face severe restrictions on freedom of expression."
The CoE Commissioner emphasizes that in the past period, Azerbaijan made no progress in the sphere of freedom of expression and assembly. He has noted the practice of arrests "on fabricated charges." He has also expressed his concern over reports on chase for journalists with the use of remote surveillance.
According to Nils Muižnieks, one more reason for concern is represented by additional restrictions on the activities of NGOs put on the Law on NGOs and approved by the President of Azerbaijan on February 3, 2014.
Meanwhile, the government of Azerbaijan has rejected the criticism and expressed doubts about the reliability of sources of information used by the CoE Commissioner.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
