22 April 2015, 12:57
PACE Committee treats guilty verdict against Rasul Jafarov as revenge act
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has condemned the verdict of guilty announced in Azerbaijan against Rasul Jafarov.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rasul Jafarov, the coordinator of the campaign "Art for Democracy", was detained on August 2, 2014. On April 16, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes found Rasul Jafarov guilty of illegal entrepreneurial activities, tax evasion, abuse of office, fraud, embezzlement on a large scale and sentenced the human rights defender to six years and six months of imprisonment in a common-security penal colony.
The statement made by the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights notes that Rasul Jafarov is well-known in the Council of Europe (CE), and he took part in a number of extra-events organized in the framework of the PACE sessions.
According to the PACE Committee, the verdict against Rasul Jafarov is not proportionate to the crimes imputed to him. The PACE Committee also indicates the violation of the human rights defender's rights.
At present, Azerbaijan is preparing for the next amnesty, and the pardon list can include many political prisoners. This was stated by Novella Jafaroglu, a member of the Joint Working Group on Human Rights (JWG), the head of the Society for Women's Rights. According to her, it is expected that the President will sign the decree on pardon is in May.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
