29/05/2024 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 29 May, the European Union expressed its alarm at the “unsettling” rise of arrests in Azerbaijan targeting human rights defenders, members of independent media such as Toplum TV and Kanal 11, political activists and civil society organisations such as III Republic Platform. The spokesman for the European External Action Service, Peter Stano, called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release all those imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights and to allow detainees (or those under house arrest) to have full access to health services and independent legal services, citing in particular the concerning health situation of the academic Gubad Ibadoghlu (see EUROPE 13400/25) and the lawyer Alasgar Mammadli, winner of the Council of Europe’s Vaclav Havel Prize. He also believes that organising the COP29 climate conference in November will represent an opportunity for Azerbaijan to reaffirm its commitment to its obligations under international law. (MB)