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A distinguished human rights lawyer jailed in Azerbaijan ought to be launched instantly, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights has mentioned.
Elchin Sadykov, a well known human rights defender, was arrested final Saturday alongside certainly one of his shoppers shopper, journalist Avaz Zeynalli.
Dunja Mijatović, the commissioner for human rights, mentioned Mr Sadykov “has been the goal of steady intimidation and harassment for his professional human rights work, identical to many different activists in Azerbaijan”.
She mentioned: “The in a single day trial ordering Mr Sadykov’s and Mr Zeynalli’s detention in remand raises severe questions of compatibility with European human rights requirements.
“It was held behind closed doorways and within the absence of fundamental procedural ensures, which reinforces doubts on the credibility of their prosecution and imprisonment.
“The arrest of Mr Sadykov adopted searches of his work premises and the seizure of confidential info, which ought to be protected by authorized skilled privilege.
“These acts additional irritate the chilling impact on human rights legal professionals and defenders in Azerbaijan and on freedom of expression, together with media freedom, a difficulty of long-standing concern in Azerbaijan.”
Ms Mijatović has known as on the Azerbaijani authorities to launch each Mr Sadykov and Mr Zeynalli instantly “and to completely guarantee respect for his or her rights and liberties”.
She added: “Intimidation and harassment of civil society actors and unbiased journalists in Azerbaijan should cease instantly. It’s the responsibility of the authorities to make sure that human rights defenders and media professionals can perform their work safely and freely.”
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