In Azerbaijan, rights defenders disappointed by refusal of pardon for political prisoners

In Azerbaijan, civil society activists and experts are disappointed by the presidential decree of pardon, which does not affect the political prisoners. The activists believe that this fact can result in a deterioration of relations between Azerbaijan and the Western countries.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 28, President Ilham Aliev signed a decree on pardoning 210 prisoners. Meanwhile, the list of pardoned citizens does not include Azerbaijani citizens recognized by human rights defenders as political prisoners.

Earlier, on December 24, the human rights defenders voiced a call to pardon 22 political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

The disappointment about the presidential decree on pardoning was also expressed by Arzu Abdullaeva, a member of the Monitoring Group of Human Rights Organizations of Azerbaijan, the head of the Azerbaijani National Committee of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly.

Arzu Abdullaeva has suggested that political prisoners were "apparently not included in the pardon list under the influence of the Kremlin." The activist also treats the refusal to pardon political prisoners as "a challenge to international organizations."

Political analyst Arastun Orudjlu, the head of the "East-West" Research Centre, believes that the refusal to pardon political prisoners makes even more important the issue by the Western countries of sanctions against Azerbaijan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.