HRW: Europe should unite to face down Azerbaijan’s defiance
South Caucasus Director of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) international organization, Giorgi Gogia made a reference to the warning issued by Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers against Azerbaijan over Mammadov’s case, noting “the stakes are high because Azerbaijan is threatening to leave the Council of Europe”.
The official calls on the Committee not to bow to these threats and pressure from Baku.
“In May 2014, the European Court delivered an exceptionally strongly worded judgment when it found Azerbaijan’s detention of Mammadov illegal. But Mammadov remains in prison, at the mercy of a vindictive government. Amnesty International has recognized Mammadov as a prisoner of conscience.
By December 2015, Azerbaijan’s continued defiance triggered a rare inquiry by the Council of Europe’s secretary general, Thorbjørn Jagland. But the government’s defiance continued, and Mammadov remains in prison.
The states should stay united in their determination to end Azerbaijan’s defiance and its mockery of justice,” he said in an article published on the HRW official website on 25 October.
To note, the Committee of Ministers of the 47-nation Council of Europe has formally notified Azerbaijan of its intention to launch legal action related to the implementation of the Ilgar Mammadov v. Azerbaijan judgment from the European Court of Human Right, the organisation reported in a press statement.