{"id":29419,"date":"2024-09-17T22:30:47","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T20:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/free-anar.site\/?page_id=29419"},"modified":"2025-09-01T20:10:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T18:10:50","slug":"european-civil-society-call-upon-new-council-of-europe-boss-to-prioritise-human-rights-in-azerbaijan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/european-civil-society-call-upon-new-council-of-europe-boss-to-prioritise-human-rights-in-azerbaijan\/","title":{"rendered":"European Civil Society Call Upon New Council of Europe Boss to Prioritise Human Rights in Azerbaijan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ background_color=”#f3dc95″ transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”7px|0px|40px|0px||” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ text_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” inline_fonts=”Oswald” global_colors_info=”{}”]

European Civil Society Call Upon New Secretary General of Council of Europe to Prioritise Human Rights in Azerbaijan<\/strong><\/h1>\n

A wide group of European civil society organisations wrote to Alain Berset, new Secretary General of the Council of Europe, on his first day in office, calling upon him to prioritise the human rights crisis in Azerbaijan, marked by the detention of Vaclav Havel Award winner Anar Mammadli alongside over 300 other political prisoners.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h1>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Alain Berset will take up his post as new Secretary General of the Council of Europe tomorrow, Wendesday 18 September 2024. A broad group of European civil society organiastions call upon him to prioritise the human rights situation in Azerbaijan in a joint letter initiated by the Anar Mammadli Campaign against repression in Azerbaijan.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

The NGOs in their letter establish that the repression has intensified to an unprecedented level in 2024 in Azerbaijan. They underline that almost no independent civil society actor remains free in the country. Independent media outlets have seen their leadership arrested, and the authorities have increased pressure on the legal profession, as well as on academics and scholars. The letter to Alain Berset details a number of individual cases, which are emblematic of the repression.<\/div>\n

<\/strong><\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240625-sg.jpg” title_text=”Alain Berset speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Alain Berset speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe<\/h6>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

The NGOs therefore call upon Alain Berset to make the release of such individuals his outmost priority and to engage with Azerbaijani authorities to review legislation designed to target human rights defenders and civil society and criminalise their activities.<\/p>\n

The letter is sent against the backdrop of a total disregard of the Council of Europe by the Azerbaijani authorities:<\/p>\n

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    \n
  • \n

    The Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation has been suspended in January 2024. Azerbaijan also refused Council of Europe observation of its\u00a0presidential election of 7 February 2024 and its parliamentary election of 1 September 2024, in violation of the country\u2019s obligations as Council of Europe member state;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    In an unprecedented public statement, the Council of Europe Committee on the Prevention of Torture underlined\u00a0the \u201cdeplorable state of affairs\u201d of places of detention in Azerbaijan and the total lack of cooperation by the national authorities with the Committee, in violation of the country\u2019s obligations as Council of Europe member state;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    To date, Azerbaijan has the worst record of non-implementation of European Court of Human Rights, following Russia, and refuses to follow-up on Council of Europe injunctions to implement cases related to political prisoners (Mammadli group), in violation of the country\u2019s obligations as Council of Europe member state.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Given the human rights crisis in Azerbaijan and the dire state of cooperation with the Council of Europe mechanisms and insittutions, the very credibility of the Council of Europe will depend on the new Secretary General\u2019s willingness to prioritise human rights in Azerbaijan as he takes up his office.<\/p>\n

    Azerbaijan\u2019s human rights crisis is happening as the country prepares to host the 29th Climate Conference (COP29).<\/p>\n<\/div>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240918-CoE-SG-Alain-Berset.pdf” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”READ THE FULL LETTER (PDF)” button_alignment=”left” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#f3dc95″ button_bg_color=”#d32329″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”11px” button_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” button_icon=”9||divi||400″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”bottom” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||8px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]

    The signatory organisations are:<\/span><\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Anar Mammadli Campaign to end repression in Azerbaijan<\/li>\n
    • Centre for Civil Liberties, Ukraine<\/li>\n
    • Civil Network Opora, Ukraine<\/li>\n
    • European Exchange<\/li>\n
    • European Human Rights Advocacy Centre<\/li>\n
    • European Platform for Democratic Elections<\/li>\n
    • Federazione Italiana Diritti Umani (FIDU)<\/li>\n
    • Front Line Defenders<\/li>\n
    • Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland<\/li>\n
    • Human Rights Centre, Georgia<\/li>\n
    • International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders<\/li>\n
    • International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)<\/li>\n
    • Netherlands Helsinki Committee<\/li>\n
    • Norwegian Helsinki Committee<\/li>\n
    • Political Accountability Foundation, Poland<\/li>\n
    • Resource Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Moldova<\/li>\n
    • World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders<\/li>\n
    • ZMINA Human Rights Center, Ukraine


      <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      <\/span><\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240918-CoE-SG-Alain-Berset-FR.pdf” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”READ THE FULL LETTER IN FRENCH (PDF)” button_alignment=”left” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#f3dc95″ button_bg_color=”#d32329″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”11px” button_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” button_icon=”9||divi||400″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”bottom” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_1536.jpeg” alt=”Anne Brasseur with Anar Mammadli’s father, Vaclav Havel Prize ceremony, Strasbourg” title_text=”IMG_1536″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

      Then President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Anne Brasseur, with Anar Mammadli’s father, Vaclav Havel Prize ceremony, Strasbourg, on 29 September 2014. At the time, Anar Mammadli was in detention.<\/h6>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      European Civil Society Call Upon New Secretary General of Council of Europe to Prioritise Human Rights in Azerbaijan A wide group of European civil society organisations wrote to Alain Berset, new Secretary General of the Council of Europe, on his first day in office, calling upon him to prioritise the human rights crisis in Azerbaijan, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29419"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30316,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29419\/revisions\/30316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}