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Political Counselor Christopher Robinson to the Permanent Council to Vienna criticizes Azerbaijan for the verdict against opposition activist Yadigar Sadigov. The text of the speech is posted at the site of the United States Mission to the OSCE.

“The United States is concerned about the conviction and imprisonment of Yadigar Sadiqov on charges of hooliganism on January 13. Mr. Sadiqov was a political activist and an advisor to the opposition Musavat Party. He was arrested in June 2013 prior to the start of campaigning for the presidential election. His arrest and subsequent conviction is yet another incident in a series of troubling developments affecting civil society and political pluralism in Azerbaijan.

He also noted that the U.S. continues to closely monitor the investigation of “Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center” Chairman Anar Mammadli and the “International Cooperation of Volunteers Public Union” for alleged illegal business activities and tax evasion.

“We noted previously in the Permanent Council our concerns that Mr. Mammadli’s detention was related to his organization’s election monitoring and reporting activities. We also continue to closely monitor and urge due process in the trials of “Republican Alternative Movement” Chairman Ilgar Mammadov and Musavat Party Deputy Chairman Tofig Yagublu, who were arrested for allegedly inciting the residents of Ismaiyilli to violent protest, as well as activists of the NIDA youth movement,” Christopher Robinson noted.

He stressed that the U.S. again calls on the Government of Azerbaijan to uphold its OSCE commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to return recently adopted NGO-related amendments to parliament.