Moscow [Russia], February 26: A group of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has called on the European Commission to step up pressure on the country's leadership to enforce respect for human rights.
In an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the authors accused the government in Baku of interfering in the judiciary to punish critics of President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled the oil-rich Caucasus nation for more than two decades.
"We are deeply disappointed that the European Parliament resolutions on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan remain on paper, while the European commission is not mobilizing its resources to address the issue of political prisoners in the country," the letter said, according to a Wednesday report by news portal Caucasian Knot.
Among the signatories are journalists Khafis Babaly and Mehman Aliyev, who are serving long prison sentences.
Source: Qatar Tribune