PACE rapporteurs welcome pardoning decree issued by Azerbaijani president

Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC), co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, and Christoph Strässer (Germany, SOC), rapporteur on the follow-up to the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), welcomed the decision by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on 25 December 2009 to pardon 99 prisoners.

“The Assembly has stressed many times that there can be no political prisoners in Council of Europe member states,” the rapporteurs said.

They trust that Azerbaijan will further progress in fulfilling a key commitment taken while joining the Council of Europe.

Totally 99 prisoners were pardoned by the presidential decree.

Some 89 prisoners were released from jail, three – from the custodial restraint, 6 – from forfeiture and rest of term of one woman was reduced by half.

The pardoning decree also includes Bizim Yol newspaper correspondent Mushvig Huseynov.

/APA/