Political prisoners of Azerbaijan: pardon has nothing changed

December 26, 2012, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning 87 people, 79 of which are released from a prison sentence, 4 – from correctional works, another 4 – from fines. As noted contact.az, among the pardoned two of “prisoners of conscience” – human rights activist Vidadi Iskandarov and activist of the PPFA Shahin Hasanli and also political prisoners from the list of the PACE rapporteur Christopher Strasser.

These are Shamsi Abdullayev (the case “OPON”), the Iranian television journalist Anar Bayramli, regional correspondent of the newspaper “Khural” Aydin Janiyev, two religious leaders from Ganja – Azar Jabiyev and Fakhri Ilyasov (arrested in early 2011), a human rights activist Taleh Khasmamedov and Jeyhun Farzullayev convicted on the case of N. Panahli.

As it is known, political prisoners are innocently convicted persons on fabricated charges for the desire or attempt to take advantage of the fundamental rights and freedoms.

Nevertheless, all of the human rights movement in Azerbaijan grateful to the President for showing mercy and waits for an amnesty for the remaining political prisoners.

There were political prisoners – and no political prisoners, but what about the illegal arrests and the courts?

C. Beccaria – Allah rəhmət eləsin.

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