Eldar Zeynalov: "By means of pardoning, most yesterday's opponents of powers are knocked out of the politics, turning into the "political past"

-How would you comment on Siyavush Novruzov's announcement that it would be expedient to adopt an act of amnesty dated to the birthday of national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev?

-First of all we should clarify the things that the local human rights activists are anxious about. We are anxious about the failure to undertake political amnesty.

I would explain: political amnesty is a more honorable act for those released, that the act of pardoning, as pardoning is an individual act, which implies repentance of the convicted, their admission of mistakes, which in the result, turns the past opponents of powers and political prisoners into tricksters, who have made any mistake and have no chance to return to their circle and whose criminal past will never return. In this case, by means of pardoning, most past opponents of powers are merely knocked out of the politics, turning into the "political past", those who have once repented before the powers and have no right to position themselves as the opponents of powers.

As for political amnesty, it would be a demonstration of generosity of powers towards their political opponents. Such steps of authorities have always been regarded as a step on the way to national reconciliation. Unfortunately, we do not have a hope that the authorities will agree to sign an act on political amnesty.

The only thing, that makes us optimistic, is the announcement of the Council of Europe, which stressed the need to sign an act on political amnesty in Azerbaijan.

-But don't you agree that principal differences between Siyavush Novruzov's announcement from the announcements of other politicians on the said issue is that he is not an ordinary parliamentarian, he is a deputy executive secretary of the ruling party, Yeni Azerbaijan?

-I would have agreed with you only in case Siyavush Novruzov has declared the need to sign an act on political amnesty. However, considering the text of his announcement, he speaks of an ordinary amnesty, which will cover ordinary criminals, not political opponents of powers, who are currently in jail.

We have already heard the talks of the need for political amnesty from several deputies of the parliament, but such declarations were not made by representatives of the Azerbaijani Presidential administration. And this is the most important as we all know who passes such decisions.

-Can the problem of prisoners, which have recently been called political prisoners, be settled before the coming presidential elections?

-No, I will never believe it. If political prisoners were a uniform mass and included only representatives of traditional opposition, I would believe that the problem of political prisoners will be settled before the coming presidential elections.

But the thing is that among those, who are in prison, there are people, who have recently been an important component of the working powers and their release in the year of elections does not meet the interests and plans of officials.

Another issue is that can for example Farhad Aliyev and Ali Insanov be considered political prisoners? The opinions of human rights activists differ in this case. I, in turn, do not consider them to be political prisoners.

/Day.Az/