Latest

The authorities of Azerbaijan are leading an unprecedented crackdown against civil society by arresting, one after the other, key critics of the country’s leadership. Bank accounts of more than a dozen NGOs are blocked and their offices are being searched. The international community should urgently use all measures to protect targeted and imprisoned human rights defenders. Azerbaijan is currently chairman of the Council of Europe and has an even greater obligation to live up to international standards, stop the persecution and repression, and release all imprisoned human rights defenders.

У сумесным лісце да прэзідэнта Ільхама Аліева 64 няўрадавыя арганізацыі з Сеткі Дамоў правоў чалавека заклікаюцьулады Азербайджана да неадкладнага і безумоўнага вызвалення праваабаронцаў Лэйлы Юнус, Арыфа Юнуса іРасула Джафарава, зняцця ўсіх абвінавачванняў супраць іх.

The currently applicable statutory regulations governing the rules of access of secret services to telecommunication data violate the constitutional right to privacy, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled last week.

Last week, Rasul Jafarov, a leading human rights defender in Azerbaijan, has been arrested by the Azerbaijani authorities. His arrest is related to the mounting repression from the Azerbaijani authorities against civic society activists and opposition parties.

Human rights defender Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunus have been arrested on 30 July 2014. Leyla Yunus was sentenced to 3 months pre-trial detention. On 5 August 2014, Arif Yunus was also sentenced to 3 months pre-trial detention. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus, as we see this as part of the persecution against human rights defenders in Azerbaijan.

64 NGOs from 13 Human Rights Houses call upon the Azerbaijani authorities, in their joint letter to President Ilham Aliyev, to immediately and unconditionally release Leyla Yunus, Arif Yunus and Rasul Jafarov, and lift all charges held against them. The NGOs also repeat their previous call to release Anar Mammadli and Bashir Suleymanli, and join calls for the release of Hasan Huseynli.

Объявлен третий набор (2014-2015) адвокатов и юристов из Азербайджана, Беларуси, Молдовы, России и Украины для участия в программе дистанционного обучения международному праву прав человека. Обучение длится один год и осуществляется в рамках проекта Сети домов прав человека «Международное право для защиты общественных интересов. Дистанционное обучение адвокатов правам человека».

Объявляется третий набор (2014-2015) адвокатов и юристов из Азербайджана, Беларуси, Молдовы, России и Украины для участия в программе дистанционного обучения международному праву прав человека. Обучение длится один год и осуществляется в рамках проекта Сети домов прав человека «Международное право для защиты общественных интересов. Дистанционное обучение адвокатов правам человека».

Rasul Jafarov has been arrested and sentenced to 3 months of pre-trial detention, a few days after the same sentence was upheld against Leyla Yunus. In Azerbaijan, human rights defenders are criminalised and their NGOs blocked. We call upon the immediate and unconditional release of Leyla Yunus and Rasul Jafarov.

Since 2003, immigration laws have been applicable that at the UE level govern the right of third country citizens to family reunification. Nevertheless, the procedure is riddled with a whole range of practical problems. Individual EU Member States differ in their interpretation and application of laws based on directives. Currently, the European Commission is carrying out a consultation of guidelines aimed to standardise the practice in this regard. The HFHR has taken part in this consultation.

The European Court of Human Rights has entered judgments in the cases brought by applications of Al-Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah, allegedly detained and tortured in a CIA secret prison in Poland. The judges unanimously ruled that a number of human rights violations had occurred in the cases of both applicants, pointing to abuses of the prohibition of torture, the right to a fair trial or right to personal freedom and safety. The Court also criticised the Polish government for the lack of cooperation during the case which resulted in a breach of the Convention’s Article 38.

4 August – the International Day of Solidarity with Civil Society of Belarus. On this very day in 2011 Ales Bialiatski, the famous Belarusian human rights defender, was detained in Minsk. On 21 June, 2014 Ales Bialiatski was suddenly granted amnesty and released, but there are still other political prisoners in Belarus, and there is no guarantee that the new political persecutions will not take place.