Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev signed a new decree granting amnesty to 54 prisoners on 30 December, as the country prepared to celebrate the Day of Solidarity of Azeris around the world on New Year’s Eve. It was the fifth amnesty decree signed by Aliev since his election to the presidency in October 2003. (4-DEC-2005)

Among those amnestied were Sardar Hamidov, the former mayor of the Ter-Ter region and the brother of former interior minister Iskandar Hamidov. Sardar Hamidov was widely considered a political prisoner by local and international human rights activists.

5th amnesty in a year
It was the fifth amnesty decree signed by Aliev since his election to the presidency in October 2003. More than 972 prisoners, including former prime minister Suret Huseynov and Alekram Humbatov, leader of the separatist Talysh-Mugan republic and widely viewed as a political prisoner, were freed in previous amnesties.

Activists disappointed
 Still, local human rights activists said they were disappointed with last week’s amnesty, saying it failed to solve the problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Saida Gojamanli, director of the local Bureau on Human Rights Protection and Law, told the independent daily Zerkalo that although she welcomed the amnesty, it did little to solve the prevailing problem. “We are entering 2005 with this problem that creates much headache for Azerbaijan in various international organizations. This list of freed persons did not include many ill prisoners that the Federation of Human Rights organizations had suggested to the Council of Europe, as well as the leaders of the opposition arrested during the ‘October events’,” Gojamanli said.

No discussion about the opposition leaders in jail
In October 2004, seven opposition leaders were sentenced to between three and five years in prison for masterminding and participating in the violence on 15-16 October 2003 that followed the presidential elections. One person was killed and hundreds were wounded when protesters clashed with police and army forces. Although the government views the opposition protesters as criminals, human rights activists have persistently lobbied for their inclusion on the list of “political prisoners”. Azay Guliev, the president of the forum of nongovernmental organizations and a member of the state pardoning commission, said the issue of the seven opposition leaders was not even on the discussion table.

Four political prisoners included
When Azerbaijan became a member of the Council of Europe in 2001, it swore an oath to free or reconsider the cases of all persons considered as political prisoners by international organizations. During his last visit to Strasburg, Aliev told European lawmakers that he intended to “close” the issue for once and forever. Meanwhile, Yaguba Hamidova, the daughter of the freed Sardar Hamidov said she was “very happy and grateful to President Aliev for granting the amnesty to my father. I owe my life to him”.

Another human rights activist, Rena Sadaddinova, echoed Gojamanli’s sentiments last week, saying: “This act, unfortunately, did not bring a closure on the topic of political prisoners.”  According to Mrs. Sadaddinova, the pardoning decree includes about 4  persons treated as political prisoners by the  Council of Europe and local human rights defenders:
 
1. Hamidov Sardar Madjid oglu   (#241 from list of the 716 prisoners Council of Europe),( from Opinion 222)                                      
2. Allaxverdiyev Eldar Yavar ogli   (#10 from list Council of Europe 88)
 3. Kerimov Jasur Sabir oglu  (#351 ffrom list of the 716 prisoners Council of Europe),( from Opinion 222)
 4. Maxmudov Namik Talib oglu (#384 ffrom list of the 716 prisoners Council of Europe),( from Opinion 222)

Source: ISN SECURITY WATCH