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UN Human Rights Committee considers report of Azerbaijan

22 July 2009 12:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva â€“ APA. The Human Rights Committee concluded its consideration of the third report of Azerbaijan on measures undertaken to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights at the Committeeâ€™s 96th session in Geneva. Khalaf Khalafov, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, introduced Azerbaijan’s report. The delegation of Azerbaijan also included Members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the Ministry of Justice; the General Prosecutor’s Office; the Executive Office; the Ministry for Youth and Sport; the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population; the State Committee for Family, Women’s and Children’s Affairs; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations at Geneva.
The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remained the hardest problem for Azerbaijan, Khalafov said. The Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven regions around it, which constituted 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory, were occupied by Armenia. More than 1 million Azerbaijanis had become refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of ethnic cleansing carried out by Armenia. However, Azerbaijan remained loyal to a peaceful resolution to the conflict granting the highest level of autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh within the territory of Azerbaijan. Khalafov, introducing the report, said that in March 2009 there had been constitutional reforms that were very significant for the promotion and protection of human rights and freedoms. The constitutional reforms were directed towards strengthening the social focus of the State, the enhancement of the effectiveness of human rights and freedoms’ protection, the improvement of the work of supreme State authorities, as well as courts and municipalities. With a view to eliminate all forms of violence against women, the Government continued to take relevant measures of a social and economic character. In addition, a draft law currently under review contained provisions for the establishment of rehabilitation centers for women and children who were victims of violence. Azerbaijan had also taken relevant legislation measures in the fight against human trafficking. In 2008, 76 crimes related to human trafficking had been uncovered, 96 persons had been brought to trial and the accused had been brought to criminal responsibility. It was the last report heard at the UN Human Rights Committee, which will make its remarks on July 31.