Andres Herkel: "If reporters and sick prisoners are released before the PACE bureau session, this fact will be taken into account"

The recommendation to appoint a special rapporteur was put forward by the PACE committee on law and human rights.

Andres Herkel, co-rapporteur of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Azerbaijan, said the situation with imprisoned reporters and ill prisoners has not changed following the visit to Baku in early February with another co-rapporteur Eugenia Zhivkova.

"Human rights activists note that amnesty is expected before Novruz. If reporters and political prisoners are released before the session, this fact will be taken into account. Otherwise, the bureau will have firm grounds for the appointment of a special rapporteur".

At the same time, Samed Seidov, head of the Azerbaijani delegation in PACE  and vice president of the structure, announced that he will take part at the session of the Bureau and only after that will comment on the issue. As for whether the decree on pardon will be signed before the Bureau session, according to Seidov, the issue is a competence of the President.

/APA/