The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued a statement on further convictions of peaceful demonstrators in Azerbaijan.

The statement says that recalling EU statements earlier this year which expressed concerns about freedom of assembly in Azerbaijan and the EU statement of 26 August regretting the convictions of six participants in the peaceful demonstration of 2 April 2011, High Representative Catherine Ashton is very concerned about the sentencing of 4 more participants in these events.

The High Representative considers that these convictions are not consistent with Azerbaijan's efforts to progress toward a pluralistic democracy and are a discouraging signal.

The High Representative calls on the judiciary in Azerbaijan to ensure a fair, transparent and evidence-based appeal process. In this context, she also expresses concerns about the increasingly challenging working environment for independent lawyers.

The EU Delegation has been instructed to closely monitor further developments on this issue and remain engaged in assisting Azerbaijan in fulfilling its commitments with regard to democracy and the rule of law, the statement says.