On Thursday 19 December, MEPs strongly condemned the Azerbaijani regime’s persistent violations of human rights, “in particular freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly”, as well as the political instrumentalisation of the criminal justice system.
In the joint resolution they adopted (434 votes in favour, 30 against and 89 abstentions), MEPs urged the authorities to put an immediate end to the crackdown on all dissident groups and to unconditionally release those “being prosecuted on trumped-up, politically-motivated charges”.
The European Parliament calls on Baku to lift unfair restrictions on independent media and to follow the recommendations of the Venice Commission on its legislation on the registration and funding of non-governmental groups and the media.
It also calls for sanctions against officials responsible for serious human rights violations. “Any partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan - including on energy - must impose strict conditions on respect for fundamental rights and the release of all political prisoners”, the European Parliament points out.
See the resolution:https://aeur.eu/f/evu (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)