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Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights to make report on outcomes of his visit to Azerbaijan

27 May 2013 13:30 (UTC +04:00)

“The authorities should bring the long-standing work on the reform of defamation legislation to a successful conclusion, by ensuring that it provides for defamation to be dealt with through proportionate fines and not imprisonment,” says the statement.

The Commissioner welcomed that the authorities are currently engaged with the Council of Europe Venice Commission on this reform. Noting the announced publication by the authorities of a list of locations where demonstrations will be authorized, the Commissioner called for these to include adequate locations in the centre of Baku and other cities, as a first step towards a better enjoyment of the right to freedom of assembly by the Azerbaijani population.

Nils MuiÅ¾nieks said that several interlocutors expressed concerns about continuous demolitions of houses in the centre of Baku. The Commissioner was informed that a number of cases relating to these demolitions are now pending before the European Court of Human Rights.