Rights defenders appeal to PACE co-rapporteurs

Member of the Federation, chief of Peace and Democracy Institute Leyla Yunus told the APA that they want the co-rapporteurs to raise this problem at the meeting tomorrow. Leyla Yunus said they appealed, as the pardon decree signed a few days ago did not solve the problem of political prisoners and amnesty act was not signed.

"We also want a special rapporteur for preventing new arrests on political motives and want this issue to be on focus," she said.

The appeal says that the latest pardon decree released only 10 prisoners out of 87 political prisoners enlisted by the Federation and life imprisonment of one prisoner was commuted to 25 years of imprisonment.

The members of the Federation had appealed to co-rapporteurs before the January session of the PACE.

Human rights defender Saadat Bananyarly told the APA that the Monitoring Group of the Human Rights Organizations are also dissatisfied with the latest pardon decree, as it does not concern some ill-health prisoners.

She said that the members of the group will publicize their position on the problem in April session of the PACE.

The member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE and Monitoring Committee Aydin Abbasov told the APA that he advised to wait for tomorrow's debates.

"It is a very serious problem. Azerbaijani government does its best so that problem of political prisoners is not included into the agenda. The debates will show whether the proposal on appointing rapporteur will be included into agenda. We will publicize our position after that," he said.