September 28, 2002 - 20:41 AMT
FOR LAST TIME PACE OFFICIALLY WARNED BAKU ABOUT INADMISSIBILITY OF VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN AZERBAIJAN
It is possible that the PACE has officially warned Baku about inadmissibility of violations of human rights in Azerbaijan and non-fulfillment of commitments undertaken at joining the Council of Europe for the last time. As the Azeri media reports, in the course of the discussion of the report on the results of the monitoring in Azerbaijan at the PACE fall session, a criticism about official Baku was heard. When the head of the Azeri delegation Ilham Aliyev raised claims to co-reporter Andreas Gross regarding the context of his report, the latter stated: "I understand that you are concerned with the current events. But take into consideration that parliamentarians of the Council of Europe are astounded with the events taking place in Azerbaijan". The authors of the report point out serious violations and mass falsifications in the course of the recent referendum on constitutional amendments in Azerbaijan. Besides, the facts of violations of rights of journalists are stated. As an example the decree of the Azerbaijani president on actual instroduction of censorship screened by non-disclosure of State secret is pointed out. All these facts are evaluated as a contradictory to the European norms and as a non-fulfillment of the commitments undertaken at joining the Council of Europe by Azerbaijan. The report also states the serious concern regarding the existence of political prisoners in that country.