Azeri President Ilham Aliyev (photo) issued a decree on pardon on the occasion of spring holiday Novruz on 19 March 2005. A total of 115 convicts have been pardoned, of which 114 ones have been freed from jail and the sentence term of one convict has been halved. Among the pardoned there are 53 convicts, who were considered political prisoners by the Council of Europe. (23-MAR-2005)
The pardoning decree came four days after the Council of Europe, warned the Azeri government that its membership in the organization could be jeopardized if the prisoners were not released. Council of Europe Envoy Malcolm Bruce visited Azerbaijan’s capital Baku last week and pressed authorities to release the prisoners by April in order to improve political conditions for November parliamentary elections. Bruce asked Aliyev to sign an amnesty decree, suggesting it be applied within three weeks.
Poor human rights record
The Aliyev government faced numerous and repeated international pressures due to the political prisoners and unbearable political atmosphere in the country. Aliyev has come under sustained criticism from human rights and press freedom groups, which charged that the government has used widespread imprisonment to silence its critics.
Among the pardoned there are 53 convicts, who were considered political prisoners by the Council of Europe.
Political prisoners freed
Most noteworthy among those pardoned are the former defence minister Rahim Haziev, sentenced for high treason in 1995, six opposition leaders jailed for “organising riots” after the 2003 presidential election and many involved in attempted coups d’etat in 1994 and 1995.
Natig Efendiyev, former chief of Ganja city main police department, and Tofig Gasymov, former chief of special presidential department, have been also pardoned.
A total of 38 convicts sentenced for involvement into October 2003 disturbances among those 
pardoned. The famous “seven” opposition leaders are among them, including Rauf Arifoglu, Yeni Musavat daily’s editor-in-chief, Arif Hajily, Musavat party’s deputy chairman, Panah Huseynov, leader of People’s party, Sardar Jalaloglu, Democratic party’s general secretary, Igbal Agazade, Umid party’s leader, Ibrahim Ibrahimli, deputy chairman of Musavat party, and Etimad Asadov, head of Karabakh War Invalids Society.
The seven opposition party leaders were jailed aftermath the disputed presidential elections of October 2003 and charged with organizing massive disturbances.
Attitude
The local human rights activists has highly assessed presidential decree on pardon, which has fully resolved the problem of “election prisoners” and great number of the other political prisoners. However, the right groups underline that some of the prisoners, who were arrested on political motives, remained in jail despite of the pardoning decree.
U.S. State Department’s representative Carlos Aranda called decree on pardon an important step towards an open political dialogue on the threshold of parliamentary elections. “We urge Azerbaijani authorities to take efforts to achieve political dialogue, ensure freedom of assembly and freedom of press and ensure stability and democratic development of the country by obligatory observation of electoral law,” said Carlos Aranda.
“Rauf Arifoglu, the most outspoken opposition journalist spent many months in prison in retaliation for his criticism of President Aliyev,” CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. “His release is a positive step, but the president must do much more to improve the dreadful press conditions in his country.”
Another famous international organisation for protecting freedom of press “Reporters Sans Frontiers” welcomed Rauf Arifoglu release too. “One can only celebrate the fact that there are no longer any journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan”, – reads the statement pf RSF. “But the Council of Europe should continue to apply pressure on the Azeri authorities to achieve a lasting improvement in press freedom. The murder of Elmar Husseynov, editor of the opposition weekly Monitor, on 2 March 2005, has still not been solved,” it added.
