During the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a report on the violation of the rights of non-governmental organizations in a number of countries of the Council of Europe entitled “New Restrictions on NGOs in the Council of Europe Member States” was adopted.
Luxembourg representative Iva Krushen’s report calls on Azerbaijani authorities to reform legislation on NGOs, not to apply measures restricting the activities of NGOs and follow the conclusion of the Venice Commission.
The report makes a note about Azerbaijan: “Pressures on civil society in Azerbaijan continue. Although the Assembly condemned the situation in Azerbaijan in October, the pressures on activists and human rights defenders, as well as on NGOs continue, and although legislation has improved to some extent, many NGOs and their donors are still obliged to obtain permission from the authorities”.
In response to these concerns, the Azerbaijani delegates again began to bring the argument that Azerbaijan was the first secular state in Muslim countries where women were given the right to vote early in 1918, etc.
Let us note that the Assembly also discussed and criticized the extraordinary presidential elections in Azerbaijan considering those as anti-democratic.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
