Rights defenders report decrease in number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan

Over the past five months, the number of political prisoners has decreased by 46, and now makes 146 persons, the Union "For Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan" (UFFPPA) has stated. At the same time, human rights defenders treat the fact of the presence of political prisoners in the country – a member of the Council of Europe as unacceptable, and call on the authorities to release all the political prisoners.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 5, 2020, the UFFPPA released a list of political prisoners, which included 192 names.

The updated list compiled by Leyla Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), and Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Monitoring Centre for Political Prisoners, was circulated by the UFFPPA on January 20.

According to Gasanov, the list is now 46 persons smaller.

He believes that despite a significant reduction in the number of political prisoners, the problem is still relevant for Azerbaijan. "There should be no political prisoners in a member state of the Council of Europe. The successful completion of hostilities in Karabakh has caused a patriotic upsurge in the society. During the war, the whole society, all the political forces consolidated; and the release of political prisoners would contribute to the formation of atmosphere of civil accord," Mr Gasanov has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 21, 2021 at 08:18 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.