The grand Azerbaijan Dance Festival 2025, uniting dance traditions and art, organized by the Azerbaijan Dance Union (AzDC), will be held at the JW Marriott Absheron Baku from October 30 to November 2, Azernews reports.
Month: May 2025
The latest “SHE Congress” took place with the support of the country’s leading mobile operator, Azercell Telecom, which served as the digital transformation partner of the event. Notable moments of the congress, attended by more than 500 women, included various speeches, panel discussions, and interactive sessions.
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged the Georgian authorities to investigate police abuse effectively, reduce the Special Investigation Service’s dependency on the Prosecutor’s Office, and revise recent legislative changes. In two communications to the Committee of Ministers, he addressed two cases: Tsintsabadze v. Georgia and Makarashvili and Others v. Georgia, and concluded that Georgia faces the persistent problem of the arbitrary use of administrative detention, and Georgian Courts lack substantial review of administrative detention cases.
The Tsintsabadze group of cases concerns deaths, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment and ineffective investigation of these acts, most of which were attributed to law enforcement and prison officials. In 2024, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe expressed concerns over the lack of promptness in Georgia’s execution of the ECtHR judgments during the discussions on the Tsintsabadze Group cases.
In his communication, O’Flaherty underlined the need to ensure that law enforcement actions, particularly in the context of public assemblies, comply with the “principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality.” Drawing on findings from his visit to Georgia in January 2025, he noted that recent events, such as violent crackdowns on pro-EU rallies, demonstrate the need for authorities to implement several measures.
The Commissioner also emphasized the need for: mandatory visible and individual identification of all police officers to enhance accountability; effective and independent investigations into police abuse, including cases of ill-treatment, unlawful arrest, and other abuses.
The Commissioner also recommended strengthening the Special Investigation Service (SIS) by reducing its dependency on the Prosecutor’s Office, empowering it to suspend abusive officers, and enhancing victim participation in investigations. He called for a review of criminal law provisions to ensure better protection against ill-treatment and comprehensive reparation for survivors.
O’Flaherty’s recommendation comes amid the moment when the GD Parliament has passed in its first reading the bill that would fully dissolve the SIS and transfer its ongoing investigations and future responsibilities to the Prosecutor’s office.
In the Makarashvili and Others v. Georgia case, the Commissioner pointed to the “persisting problem in Georgia,” regarding the arbitrary use of administrative detention, as well as the lack of substantial review of administrative detention cases by the Georgian courts.
Makarashvili and Others v. Georgia case revolves around the alleged violation of freedom of assembly and to a fair trial. In 2022, the ECtHR delivered a verdict on a case, arguing that the rights had been violated during the demonstration on 18 November 2019.
He called on the GD government to:
- Reform the Code of Administrative Offences (CAO) through “meaningful consultations” with civil society, the Public Defender’s Office, and international bodies (OSCE/ODIHR, the Venice Commission).
- Revise legislative amendments passed since November 2024 that disproportionately restrict the right to peaceful assembly through expanding administrative offences and custodial sanctions for assembly-related conduct, “particularly those permitting up to 60 days of administrative detention.”
- Guarantee timely and independent judicial review, access to legal counsel from the outset, the right to present evidence and witnesses, and timely, independent judicial review, “in accordance with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”
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Chairman of the Coordination Center of Families of Political Prisoners: “We didn’t expect any different outcome.”
On May 26, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning 220 convicts.
Out of those pardoned, 175 were exempted from serving the rest of their sentences.
For 25 convicted persons, the portion of their sentence yet to be served has been reduced by half.
A French citizen is also included among those covered by the pardon decree. Théo Clerc Hugo, born in 1986, received a three-year prison sentence from the Narimanov District Court in September 2024 for illegally entering the Baku metro and spray-painting graffiti on trains. De-Sant Quentin Ismael, a New Zealand citizen, and Han Paul, an Australian, who were detained with Hugo, were fined 6,800 manats. The convict himself stated that his sentence was influenced by the tensions between Azerbaijan and France. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on his arrest, describing it as an “unfounded and discriminatory” action.
A total of 16 foreign nationals are included among those pardoned, with five from Iran, four from Russia, two each from Georgia and Pakistan, and one each from France, Turkey, and Afghanistan.
Zafer Ahmadov, chairman of the Coordination Center of Families of Political Prisoners, told Meydan TV that not a single individual recognized as a political prisoner is among those pardoned.
“Other than the French citizen, no political prisoners were included. What was the purpose of this pardon decree? The reason remains unclear. Perhaps it was signed for public display. This shows that the Azerbaijani government is not only unready for legal and political reforms but also lacks the will or intention to pursue them. We didn’t expect any different outcome,” Zafer Ahmadov said.
The claim that the pardon list contains no political prisoners was labeled “unfounded” by Arzukhan Alizada, deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Human Rights Committee.
“It is doubtful whether those labeled as ‘political prisoners’ by certain radical groups are actually imprisoned because of their political actions. I believe the allegations that none of their members are included in the pardon list are unfounded. People should not be treated differently. Rather than celebrating the release of prisoners through a pardon, taking an opposing stance is not a commendable attitude for any politician.”, he said in a statement to Pravda.az.
Only 8 of 182 political prisoners were pardoned in 2023. They were Ali Aliyev, leader of the Citizens and Development Party; Elchin Mammad, a human rights defender from Sumgayit; four convicted in the “Tartar case” — Nusrat Gurbanov, Vagif Aliyev, Suleyman Hajiyev, and Seymur Hasanov; and two accused in the “Ganja case” — Samir Ibrahimov and Habib Gurbanov.
In 2024, 154 prisoners received pardons, but none were political prisoners.
Currently, Azerbaijan is reported to hold over 360 political prisoners.
The post “Among the pardoned, there is not even one political prisoner” appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
On May 27, the Georgian Dream parliament elected Archil Kochlamazashvili as a new member of the Supreme Court of Georgia with 89 votes in favor and none against.
Kochlamazashvili, a career judiciary official, has held a range of positions within Georgia’s court and justice administration system over the past two decades. He served as a court officer at the Tbilisi Court of Appeals from 2006 to 2011 and at the High Council of Justice from 2011 to 2015. He later held consulting positions within the HCoJ, specializing in judicial ethics and evaluating judges’ professional activities. On December 1, 2020, the HCoJ appointed him as a judge in the Civil Cases Chamber of the Tbilisi City Court for a three-year term.
Kochlamazashvili’s election to the Supreme Court comes amid ongoing criticism over the lack of transparency of judicial appointments and concerns about the independence of Georgia’s judiciary.
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