POLITICS
COUNCIL OF EUROPE SECRETARY GENERAL: “AZERBAIJAN TO PURSUE ITS EFFORTS”
While making clear that there should not be a single political prisoner in a Council of Europe member State, Walter Schwimmer stressed that in Azerbaijan virtually all persons considered to be political prisoners by his Experts have either been released or retried.
“This demonstrates the good co-operation established with the Azerbaijani authorities; it also illustrates the usefulness of the work of my Experts. The procedure established was indeed confidential and quite lengthy but it allowed for possible settlements to the satisfaction of all concerned”. To thank his Independent Experts for the tremendous work undertaken on behalf of the Council of Europe, Mr. Schwimmer awarded them Pro-Merito medals last week.
The Azerbaijani authorities committed themselves to release or grant a new trial to those prisoners regarded as “political prisoners” by human rights organizations when the country acceded to the Council of Europe in January 2001, CE Secretary General said.