On the 28-th of December, President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree to approve national plan of actions for human rights protection. Preamble of the decree reads that the plan has been adopted with the purpose to continue reforms in field of human rights, to bring national standard acts in this field in full correspondence with international standards, to improve state agencies’ activities from viewpoint of human rights, to expand legal education of population and develop relationships between state and civil society. (29-DEC-06)

Written by Shahla Ismailova/HRH Baku on the basis of information received from Turan IA; photo by Turan IA.
In addition, the national plan corresponds to demands of UN “Goals of Millennium Development” and priorities in field of democracy, human rights and rule of law defined by the third summit of CE member-states. According to the decree, executive agencies have been instructed and judicial agencies and General Prosecutor’s Office recommended toughening control over execution of the legislation in field of human rights. Milli Mejlis has been commended to consider human rights and freedoms fixed in Constitution and international documents as main criteria for drafting and adoption of laws. 

Executive agencies have been instructed
Constitution and Supreme courts have been instructed to ensure application of provisions of international documents regulating human rights protection in judicial practice.  Executive agencies have been instructed to involve NGOs into realization of the national plan. The text of the decree was published in the official press, but state newspapers have not published the national plan yet.