ArmInfo.Azerbaijan refutes criticism of Council of Europe's Committee for Prevention of Torture
and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in its public statement, the statement of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.
''We deeply regret that the Council of Europe's Committee for the
Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (CPT) has decided to issue a public statement concerning
Azerbaijan on 3 July 2024. CPT has also taken an unprecedented
decision to publish the whole report prepared following its ad hoc
visit of 2022, without the proper consent of Azerbaijan as it is
required by the European Convention against Torture and Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Such an approach is unfair,
unjustified, and legally questionable.
Since 2002 the CPT has conducted multiple periodic and ad hoc visits
and published reports on the implementation of the Convention by
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has provided the government's response on
every point mentioned in the reports. Moreover, as also noted in the
public statement, appropriate steps have been taken to remedy
relevant imperfections, and the Committee's recommendations have
always been taken into account.
Throughout the years of cooperation, the Committee has been provided
with the necessary support on its visits to date. Not only have its
investigations on the spot been facilitated, but steps have been
taken to ensure that the delegation members are received at the
highest possible level and every effort has been made to strengthen
the foundations of co-operation.
It is especially unfortunate that this decision has been taken in the
present situation of relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of
Europe created following the biased decision by the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) not to ratify the
credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE in January 2024.
We reject the criticisms in the public statement, which are leveled
at some state institutions, holding them responsible rather than
engaging in constructive cooperation.
Azerbaijan is making great progress not only in the protection of
persons deprived of their liberty but also in bringing relevant
practices up to commonly accepted standards,'' the statement reads.
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has issued a
public statement on Azerbaijan. This Statement, which is made in
application of Article 10 (2) of the Convention establishing the
Committee, addresses the persistent lack of cooperation by the
Azerbaijani authorities with the CPT.
The reason behind this exceptional decision to make a public
statement is the outright refusal of the Azerbaijani authorities to
cooperate with the CPT. The Committee made genuine attempts to engage
in a constructive dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities to
address matters that lie at the heart of the CPT's raison d'etre. The
CPT has detailed in its visit reports that it continues to receive
allegations of severe acts of ill-treatment and even of torture by
police officers. Yet, no action has been taken by the Ministry of
Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan to implement the Committee's
long-standing recommendations to end such practices. Further, the
Committee received no responses to the letters from its President to
promote dialogue through holding high-level talks in Baku or even
following the notification of a visit to the Azerbaijani authorities.
This represents a fundamental and unprecedented breach of the
Convention.
Given the seriousness of the issues at stake, relating to
ill-treatment and even torture by law enforcement officials of
detained persons, the CPT has also decided to publish the report on
the 2022 ad hoc visit to Azerbaijan as an annex to the public
statement.
As is made clear in the public statement, the Committee hopes that
the lack of cooperation does not lead to a permanent rupture in
relations with the Azerbaijani authorities. The CPT stands ready to
support the authorities to take decisive steps to uphold the
fundamental values to which Azerbaijan, as a member state of the
Council of Europe, has subscribed. In furtherance of its mandate, the
Committee is fully committed to pursuing a dialogue with the
Azerbaijani authorities to this end.
