Venice Commission to release opinion on draft law on “Nongovernmental organizations” of Azerbaijan

The next meeting of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe will be held on October 14-15.

Draft law on “Nongovernmental organizations” of Azerbaijan will be reviewed at the meeting, it will be analyzed whether the draft law is in line with the human rights standards.

Prior to the meeting of the Venice Commission the draft law will be discussed at the subcommittee on fundamental rights. Chief of socio-political department of the Presidential Administration Ali Hasanov and chief of the department of legislation and legal expertise of the Presidential Administration Shahin Aliyev will represent the Azerbaijani government at the discussions.

Secretary General of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert and Deputy Secretary Simona Granata-Menghini said at the press conference during the PACE’s autumn session that the draft law had been sent to the Venice Commission on the initiative of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs. The conformity of the document with the European standards will be determined after the discussions with the representatives of the Azerbaijani government and a week later the commission will release its opinion on it.

As to why the draft law is being considered now, Simona Granata-Menghini says the execution of the decision passed by the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers concerning the activity of foreign NGOs in the country on March 11, 2011, delays much and causes difficulties for the registration of the organizations.

“Moreover, one of the stipulations put forward for the registration of the international NGOs is the respect for moral values of Azerbaijan. As these values are not exactly described in the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, it is very difficult to fulfill this stipulation. I think this is a disproportional requirement,” he said.


/APA/