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Human Rights defenders hold press conference after attending PACE summer session

01 July 2008 12:18 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Mahbuba Gasimbayli-APA. Members of the Human Rights Organizations Monitoring Group, who attended summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Novella Jafaroghlu, Saida Gojamanli, Arzu Abdullayeva and Seadet Benenyarli held a press conference, APA reports. Saida Gojamanli said that the report on Azerbaijan made in PACE was all-round.
â€œThe report contained severe statements since the imprisoned journalists and ill-health prisoners were not released,â€ she said.
She said that broad discussions are being held on the state of human rights defenders in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Saida Gojamanli said that the office was working out the mechanisms on protection of human rights defenders operating in the Post-Soviet countries and facing pressures.
Speaking about the report on Armenia made in the session Novella Jafaroghlu said it was not detailed.
â€œArmenian human rights defenders also said this,â€ she said.
Arzu Abdullayeva noted that the resolution on Azerbaijan adopted in PACE contained an item on releasing three imprisoned journalists and ill-health prisoners.
â€œWe also want them to be released immediately,â€ she said.
Seadet Benenyarli said democratic pre-election situation in Azerbaijan was of great importance for the Council of Europe and added that Azerbaijani government should take relevant steps.
The human rights defenders said they had met with CE Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg, officials of the Venice Commission and Ago Monitoring Group, representatives of PACE monitoring and political affairs committees, PACE co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan Andres Herkel and Evguenia Jivkova, MP from Switzerland, former PACE co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan Andreas Gross in Strasbourg.