Permanent Mission of the Republic of to the UN Office and other International Organizations GENEVA

Ref: 0192/12/21/23

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva presents its compliments to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and has the honor to transmit herewith the information by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the report on steps taken by States to combat intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons, based on religion or belief to be submitted by the United Nations Secretary-General to the United Nations General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session.

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights the assurances of its highest consideration.

Enclosure: 5 pages I " Geneva, 14 April 2021

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights GENEVA "

Non-official translation

INFORMATION of the State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SeRA) on the work done to prepare a report to be submitted to the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on "Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization and discrimination, incitement to violance and violance against persons based on religion or belief'. policy the Republic of Azerbaijan pursued in the domain of and beliefs is on the freedom of thought, and bearing in mind existence of in variety of forms in the society. Furthermore, the policy of the government in the field religions and beliefs is based upon principles and norms of the international law, international agreements that Republic of Azerbaijan is party to, Constitution of the Republic Azerbaijan other documents. The Republic of Azerbaijan has implemented measures aimed state·religion relations like all other democratic Necessary steps have been taken as legal, institutional and religious activities towards preventing religious intolerance and discrimination, violence on religion, as well as strengthening dialogue among various religions in Azerbaijan for this purpose.

On Legal Framework

The state-religion relations in Azerbaijan been performed according to the 18 of "State and Religion", Article 25 of "Right to equality", Article 47 of "Freedom of thought and speech", Article 48 of "Freedom of conscience", 49 Article of "Freedom of assembly" and Article 71 of" Guarantees rights freedoms of man citizen" of the Constitution of Republic of Azerbaijan. In addition, law of Republic of Azerbaijan "On Freedom of is a main legal source to regulate the relations arising from activities of religious associations, define duties, rights and status of religious associations and create guarantees for implementation of freedom of religious belief in the country. law "On fight against religious extremism" was adopted in 2015 define legal and organizational grounds for the fighting against extremism, determine rights and obligations of authorities citizens in order to fight religious extremism. It plays a significant role in increasing the efficiency of the state policy on formation and improvement of the framework to present-day requirements. A number amendments and changes were made to Administrative Offenses and Criminal in to ensure religious freedom effectively in the country and appropriate policy was established in this area during the period. On Institutional activity

Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SCRA) which was on 21, 2001, is central executive body implementing state policy in field of religion is doing best for the development and enhancement of the democracy in the country as well as giving policy recommendations in this regard. activity of SCRA pursued in the domain of state-religion relations is based on establishing favorable condition for the implementation of religious freedom, conducting the state registration and registry maintenance of religious communities in line with the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan, strengthening tolerance, mutual understanding and respect among religious communities of different faiths and preventing religious radicalism, extremism. confrontation. discrimination and other negative cases. The Committee also organizes visits to holy places of the country and part in obtaining interstate agreements on these issues.

On Government's policy in religion

According to the statistics, about 96 of population of Azerbaijan are Muslims while other four percent is considered as , Bahaists, Krishnaites and representatives of other religions. From June 2020 to March 2021, religious communities were registered in the country. At present, the number of religious communities registered in the country is 969 the confessional point of view, 932 of them are Islamic and are non-Islamic (Christian - 26; Jewish ~ Krishna - 1; Baha'i - 2). There are 2.250 in the country, as well as 16 churches and 7 synagogues. According to the Article 8 of the on Freedom of Religious Belief' of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Islamic religious communities are subordinated by the caucasian Muslims Board, in of organizational matters, whereas non-Islamic religious associations have the right to subordinated to religious centers (organizations) operating in the Republic of Azerbaijan and abroad, as well as to change respective subordination. Although the Republic of Azerbaijan is a care for religion and believers has been all For the last by the order of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. dated June 2, 2020, in order to provide financial assistance to religious communities, envisaged by state budget the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2020, from the reserve fund of the 2 million AZN Caucasus Muslims Board. 350 thousand AZN to Russian Orthodox of and Azerbaijan, thousand AlN to Mountain Community of Baku city, 350 thousand AlN to Baku Religious Community of European Jews, 150 thousand AlN to Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of Republic of Azerbaijan, 150 thousand AZN to Religious Community of the Alban• Udi Christians of Azerbaijan, as well as for provision of financial to non• Muslim religious communities 100 thousand AZN to Moral Values Promotion Fund under State Committee on Religious Associations were allocated. It should be noted that the allocated funds were distributed among a number of non-Islamic religious organizations, taking into number their supporters or worshippers. On education

Since 2017 to the present, 11 religious educational institutions been registered. According to the Order of President of Republic of Azerbaijan No. 3654 dated February 9, 18, the Azerbaijan Theological Institute was established under the SeRA in order ensure the interest of religion in society, the training of educated the development of theology. institute has one faculty of Theology) and three departments (Department of Theology, Islamic Studies and languages, Social Sciences). At present, 200 students study at bachelor's level, 5 at the master's level and 2 at the doctoral level. It should noted that since September 2019, subject "Introduction to Multiculturalism" is taught as a bachelor's degree, and subject "Azerbaijan's multiculturalism" is taught as a main subject in higher education institutions Azerbaijan at the master's level. subject "Azerbaijani multiculturalism" is included in curricula of 15 foreign universities {Czech Republic, , Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy. Portugal, Turkey, Indonesia, Russia, Georgia, and brought to the attention of students.

On awareness-raising activities

During 2020, the RA carried out a total of about 50 awareness-raising events (including online) separately and together with other events. attended by more than 5,000 included close cooperation with central and local authorities, the armed forces, as well as law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, youth organizations, religious organizations and other NGOs. Since January 2020, "State-religion model of Azerbaijan: secularism", and religion in the context of modern realities", "Religious education, religious nurture and secularism", of XXI century: religion and women", "State- Religious relations: history, law and tradition" educational seminars-trainings been held. It should be noted due to the of the COVI 9 pandemic in the world, simultaneously to the requirements of social isolation applied in the country March 2020, religious awareness-raising planned to held in live format have been held in video with citizens.

On international cooperation

On June , 2020, the SCRA jointiy with the Azerbaijan Theological Institute (AT!) and the Protestant Theological and Religious Studies Faculty (FUTP) in BrusselS organized a seminar on role religious identity in intercultural and interreligiOUS dialogue: A video conference on "Azerbaijan and the Belgian model", The purpose of the video conference was to strengthen religiOUS identity in multifaceted of modern global Scholars from both universities exchanged views on research methods used to strengthen religious identity in the framework of intercultural and interreligious dialogue as a way to fight against religious radicalization. On June 24, 2020, the State Committee on Religious Associations of Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Committee for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of Republic of Uzbekistan jointly organized an international video conference on the topic "Religious tolerance is an important factor in state and society development". The video conference was attended by about 40 scientists, MPs, religious figures and heads of higher education institutions from both countries. The video conference continued with panel on the topiCS "Ensuring religious tolerance and harmony in SOCiety: the experience of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan", "Preservation and development of religious values in the modern state", "Islamic enlightenment in modern times." During international video conference. a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the SCRA and the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the Azerbaijan Theological Institute and the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. In addition, on February 18. 2021 was held an international video conference on 'The role of youth in the fight radicalism, extremism and terrorism" between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. An additional human dimension meeting on "Freedom of Religion or Belief: The Role of Civil Society and Digital Technology in Promoting this Freedom for All" was held in video format on 9-10 November, and the participated in the event. On November 1 7, 2020, Mubariz Gurbanli, Chairman of the SCRA, represented our country at the Third Ministerial Conference on the Promotion of Religious Freedom which was held in video format by the initiative of the US government and organized by the Poland government, attended foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers about countries, including representatives of influential international organizations. Speaking at conference, the chairman of the State Committee focused on the killing of about 100 civilians during the rocket attacks on settlements not belonging to the conflict zone of Azerbaijan as a result of military attacks launched by Armenia from September to November 10, 2020. He noted that as a of successful counter-offensive operations carried by Azerbaijan, the aggressor Armenia was severely defeated, our territories under enemy occupation were liberated for about 30 years and construction work will be carried out in those territories, all historical and religious monuments will be restored soon. M. Gurbanli the creation of unity and harmony among people today, the calls of religious to criticize extremism, terrorism and separatism as the main contribution of religions to people. On October 20, 2020, a virtual meeting of the religious leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was organized by the Turkish state, and the chairman of the State Committee M urbanli took part in the In November 2020, a draft Memorandum of Understanding was agreed between the SCRA and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. Dawah and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia In December 2020. a draft Memorandum of Understanding was agreed between the SCRA and the State Commission for Religious Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic to strengthen cooperation and exchange experiences in field of religion. Speaking at the meeting, which was held by and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the UN Headquarters on 19 February 2021 in a virtual format with the participation of ministers on itA new look at equality: elimination of racism, xenophobia discrimination for all in the framework of the for Sustainable Development", M.Gurbanli noted that Armenia's policy of ethnic cleansing genocide in the South as well as its territorial claims against neighboring countries, hindered dialogue and peaceful coexistence in Nagorno-Karabakh of Azerbaijan. He noted that during the occupation of 7 surrounding , Armenia committed of vandalism in these areas, destroyed the cultu and religious heritage of Azerbaijan, and changed the internal external appearance monuments belonging to the historical A/bania, chairman of the spoke about the military-political aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan at a meeting of leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on October 20. 2020, as well as at the next video conference of OIC on November 10, 2020, "Problems of Modern World: Call to Hate. Terror, Aggression, Islamophobia the Karabakh War",

On expertise of religious literature Checking the religious literatures in 2028 titles, it prevented the import and distribution of 45 books promoting religious intolerance, discrimination radicalism based on applications received by Department of Religious Expertise of the June 2020 March 1.

b) A review 218 religious literatures submitted to religious expertise for publication in the country and 5 of them which support religious intolerance, discrimination and radicalism were not considered ient

c) 110 religious literatures articles that sent by law enforcement during operational activities to religious expertise in order to prevent religious radicalism were reviewed and it was determined that 37 of them supported religious intolerance, discrimination and they were imported and manufactured without proper as well. Information on promotion and protection of rights of ethnic and religious minorities living in the Republic of Azerbaijan requested for the report on the implementation of UNGA resolution A/RES/74/165 of 18 December 2019 The policy in the field of protection of ethnic and cultural diversity in the Republic of Azerbaijan is based on the centuries-old traditions of tolerance and rich multicultural values of the Azerbaijani people, democratic principles, pluralism, fundamental human rights and international law. Institutional state bodies dealing with ethnic minorities and religious issues in the Republic of Azerbaijan are: Sector of Multiculturalism and Religious Affairs of the Department of Humanitarian Policy, Diaspora, Multiculturalism and Religious Affairs of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan; State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations (central executive body).

International agreements

The Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has deep cooperation ties with influential international organizations (UN, OSCE, Council of , European Union, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, etc.) in the field of human rights, including the protection of national minorities. The Republic of Azerbaijan has acceded to many international conventions on human rights and the protection of national minorities. The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was signed by the government on 1 February 1995 and ratified by the Law of 16 June 2000. On 31 May 1996, the Republic of Azerbaijan ratified the United Nations International Conventions on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, and on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In 2001, Azerbaijan acceded to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The Republic of Azerbaijan acceded to the UNESCO Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions on 26 November 2009 and entered into force on 15 May 2010 in Azerbaijan.

National legislation

The protection of ethnic and religious minorities in the Republic of Azerbaijan is ensured by the Constitution and other normative-legal acts adopted in 1995. Article 25 of the Constitution ("Right to Equality") states that "the state shall enjoy the rights and freedoms of all, regardless of race, nationality, religion, language, sex, origin, property status, position of service, beliefs, membership in political parties, trade unions and other public associations." guarantees equality of freedoms. The article states that "it is prohibited to restrict human and civil rights and freedoms on the basis of race, nationality, religion, language, sex, origin, belief,

political and social affiliation." In the field of protection of the rights of ethnic minorities. One of the most important principles in ensuring the protection of ethnic minorities is the right to nationality and language, enshrined in Article 44 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan ("Right to Nationality"): "Everyone has the right to preserve his nationality. No one may be forced to change his nationality." Article 45 of the Constitution ("Right to use one's mother tongue") states: "Everyone has the right to use his mother tongue. Everyone has the right to be educated in the language of his choice. No one shall be deprived of the right to use his mother tongue". According to Article 11.3 of the Law on the State Language in the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted on 30 September 2002, if a person applying for notarial acts does not know the state language or requests notarial acts to be conducted in any other language, if possible, the texts of the documents issued by the notary may be compiled in the desired language or the text may be translated by him. According to Article 11.4 of the Law, persons not knowing the language of the proceedings shall be provided with translation of all case materials into the language they know and speaking in their native language at the sessions of the Constitutional Court. In addition, Article 11.5, 11.6 of Article 11 of the said Law and paragraphs 11.7 state that administrative proceedings may be conducted in other languages in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Civil Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to Article 11.8, paragraph 11 of this Law: “Administrative proceedings on adoption, execution, amendment or annulment of an administrative act, as well as consideration of administrative complaints shall be conducted in the state language or in the language of the majority of the population. Persons participating in the administrative proceedings who do not know the language of the proceedings shall be explained and provided with the right to use the services of an interpreter. " The cultural and creative rights of ethnic minorities living in the Republic of Azerbaijan are enshrined in the Law "On ". Pursuant to Article 6.2 of the same Law, entitled "Ensuring Rights and Freedoms", the state guarantees everyone the exercise of their rights and freedoms in the field of culture, regardless of gender, race, language, religion and political beliefs, nationality, social status, social origin, health opportunities, membership in public associations. Subparagraphs 6.3.1. and 6.3.2 of Clause 6.3 of the same article, the state ensures the following equality in the field of culture: equality of , rights and freedoms of peoples living in the territory of the state, national minorities; peoples living in the territory of the state, national minorities to protect their culture, identify their cultural identities, restore, strengthen and develop cultural values make equality. Articles 7 and 8 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Culture" allow everyone to determine their cultural identity and lifestyle, preserve their national cultural identity, freely choose their spiritual, aesthetic and other values, promote and develop their cultural identity in cultural societies. Article 8, paragraph 8.3 of the same Law, entitled "The right to cultural identity", emphasizes that the state supports the protection and development of the identity of any cultural society. The right of ethnic minorities to receive education in their mother tongues in the Republic of Azerbaijan is enshrined in the Law on Education. Article 5.2 of the same law, entitled "State guarantee of the right to education" states: “The state guarantees

access to education and non-discrimination to every citizen, regardless of gender, race, language, religion, political beliefs, nationality, social status, origin, health opportunities”. Paragraph 7.2 of the Article "Language of instruction" of the law states that citizens have the right to receive education in the languages of their choice: “Taking into account desire of citizens and founders of educational institutions, education in educational institutions may be conducted in other languages on the basis of relevant state educational standards in accordance with international agreements to which the Republic of Azerbaijan is a party or an agreement with the relevant executive authority. Azerbaijani language, literature, history and geography should be taught in general education institutions where the language of instruction where teaching is conducted in other languages". According to Article 7.3 of the Law: "Preparatory classes and courses are organized for students with poor knowledge of the language of instruction in accordance with the procedure and educational programs established by the relevant executive authority." It should be noted that Article 7.3 provides an additional opportunity for ethnic minorities to learn the language of instruction. The same provisions are reflected in the Law on General Education (Article 6) and the Law on Preschool Education (Article 6). In the field of religion. Regulation of state-religion relations in the Republic of Azerbaijan is regulated by Article 18 (“State and religion”), 25 (“Right to equality”), 47 (“Freedom of thought and speech”), 48 (“Freedom of conscience”), 49 ("Freedom of Assembly") and 71 ("Ensuring human and civil rights and freedoms") of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In addition, the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Freedom of Religion" is the main legal and regulatory framework for determining the status, rights and responsibilities of religious organizations and regulating the relations arising in connection with the activities of religious organizations. The Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Freedom of Religion regulates the equality of rights of persons regardless of their religious affiliation by Article 4 of the law. It states that “everyone is equal before the law and the courts, regardless of religion. Indication of a person's religious affiliation in official documents is allowed only at his request. According to their religious beliefs, no one can refuse or avoid to perform duties prescribed by law. Replacement of the performance of one duty with the performance of another duty due to religious beliefs is allowed only in cases stipulated by the legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic. Legal liability for violation of the law. The Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Combating Religious Extremism and the Criminal, Administrative Offenses and Criminal Procedure Codes of the Republic of Azerbaijan contain many provisions providing for legal liability for inciting national, racial, social or religious hatred. According to Article 283 of the Criminal Code, incitement to national, racial, social or religious hatred and enmity is a crime and actions aimed at inciting national, racial, social or religious hatred and enmity, degrading national dignity, as well as restricting the rights or determining the preferences of citizens depending on their national, racial or religious affiliation, when committed openly, including through the media shall be punished by a fine in the amount of 8,000 to 12,000 manats, or correctional labor for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for a term of 2 to 4 years. The same acts shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to five years with

the use or threat of use of force, by a person using his official position, and by an organized group. In addition, Article 103 of the Criminal Code provides for the killing of members of a group for the purpose of destroying any national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as a group in whole or in part, causing grievous bodily harm or serious damage to their mental capacity. is punishable by imprisonment for a term of fourteen to twenty years or by life imprisonment.

The measures taken

In the field of work with ethnic minorities. For the first time in the post- Soviet space, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated September 16, 1992 "On protection of the rights and freedoms of national minorities, minorities and ethnic groups living in the Republic of Azerbaijan, state support for language and culture development" was signed. The “National Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights” approved by the relevant decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2006, as well as the “National Action to increase the effectiveness of protection of human rights and freedoms in the Republic of Azerbaijan” adopted by the Presidential Decree dated 27 December 2011, envisages the protection and development of the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities as one of the governmental activities. The Baku International Center for Multiculturalism (BICM) was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 15 May 2014. Today, the BICM has become a platform for dialogue and exchange of views between ethnic and religious minorities. The ethnic and religious minority organizations are represented at the Coordinating Council of this body. At the same time, through the financing of the state, various projects are being implemented through the BICM to promote the unique cultures of ethnic minorities living in the country. In order to protect the historical and cultural heritage of Germans in the country, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed an Order on 30 August 2016, titled "On the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in the South Caucasus." The Department of International Relations and Human Rights has been established at the Institute of Law and Human Rights of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) to study and research the language, culture, history and ethnography of ethnic minorities. There is a department of ethnosociological research under the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of ANAS, which works in the field of studying national minorities and small ethnic groups. Through the ANAS, monographs, scientific and popular works on historical- cultural and ethnographic heritage of ethnic minorities living in Azerbaijan - Talysh, Udi, Germans, Russians, Jews, Ingilis, Tats, Khinalis, etc. - were published. Poetry and prose collections, examples of folklore, dictionaries are regularly published and distributed in their languages, and this work continues.Hazırda Ölkədə etnik azlıqların 50-dən çox ictimai-mədəni təşkilatları rəsmi qeydiyyatdan keçmişdir. Socio-cultural organizations of ethnic minorities in the Republic of Azerbaijan

have the opportunity to receive financial assistance by applying to the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan with relevant grant projects. This year, a grant competition is planned to be organized by the Council of State Support to NGOs and the Baku International Center for Multiculturalism. The State Radio of Azerbaijan broadcasts regular radio programs in Russian, Lezgi, Kurdish, Talysh, Georgian and Armenian, publishes more than 15 newspapers and magazines in their languages, and operates 5 regional TV and radio channels in ethnic minority areas. These periodicals are published in the languages of ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan: "Birlik-EflMHCTBo" newspaper and "Gudyal" magazine (in Russian and Hebrew), "Samur" newspaper (in Lezgi language) and "Gusar" newspaper (in Azerbaijani and Lezgi languages), " "Chirag" and "Alam" magazines (in Lezgi language), "Tolishi sado", "Tolishon sado" and "Dodo" newspapers (in Talysh language), "Soz" and "Alam" magazines (in Azerbaijani and Talysh languages), "Khinalig" newspaper (in Khinalug language), "Shalala" newspaper (in Azerbaijani and Georgian languages), "Dange Kurd" newspaper (in Kurdish language), "Akkord" newspaper (in Bulgarian language), "Vysnik" newspaper (in Ukrainian language), "Akhiskha" newspaper (Akhiskha) in Turkish) and so on. The country publishes more than 30 Russian-language newspapers and 15 magazines, and broadcasts daily radio and television programs. Publishing houses annually publish books in Russian with a total circulation of up to 1 million. Among the periodicals published in Russian are the Vestnik newspaper of the Azerbaijani Russian Community, the Sodrujestvo newspaper of the Sodrujestvo Society, magazine of the Baku of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Caspian magazine and the Orthodox Vestnik newspaper of Azerbaijan Eparchy, as well as newspapers such as Bakinskiy rabochiy, Vyshka, Kaspi, Azerbaydjanskiye Izvestiya, Oko and others. Along with the Russian State Drama Theater named after S. Vurgun in Baku, Russian troupes are included to many leading theaters of Azerbaijan. More than 40 music and folklore groups of national minorities operate in Baku and a number of regions of Azerbaijan such as the State Drama Theater in Lankaran, the Lezgi State Drama Theater in Gusar and the Georgian State Theater in Gakh, Branches of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union have been established in the regions where minorities live compactly - in the cities of Guba, Lankaran and Sheki. Mother tongue classes (Avar, Kurdish, Lezgi, Talysh, Sahur, Tat, Udi, Khinalig, Hebrew) were organized in secondary schools (primary grades) in areas where ethnic minorities live. Languages of ethnic minorities are taught in 386 public schools in the country, alphabets, curricula and other textbooks, school dictionaries in various minority languages (Russian, Avar, Talysh, Kurdish, Lezgi, Sahur, Tat, Udi, Khinalig, etc.) are published at the expense of the state and this work continues on a regular basis. At present, there are 16 Russian-language secondary schools in Azerbaijan and 10 Georgian-language secondary schools, and 345 international secondary schools (Azerbaijani-Russian, Azerbaijani-Georgian, Azerbaijani-Russian-Georgian). The Ministry of Education has a department for the development and publication of textbooks and programs in national minority languages. At the same time, a department entitled "Methodology of teaching national minority languages"

was established at the Pedagogical Research Institute in 1999 to coordinate activities related to the development and publication of curricula, textbooks, dictionaries, teaching and other materials in the languages of national minorities. The Hebrew language is instructed in the complete classes consisting of children of Jewish origin, at the Russian department of the secondary school No. 46 in Baku as well as at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Baku State University. In October 2010, the Khabad Or-Avner Jewish Educational Complex, built by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Or-Avner Foundation for Jewish children, was opened in Baku. Built to teach the Jewish language, culture and history, this educational institution serves as a cultural center for Jews living in the Caucasus and the Caspian region as a whole. In 2020, the world's first Mountain Jews Museum was opened in the Red Settlement of Guba region. Baku Slavic University, which has a rich scientific and pedagogical tradition, has Russian departments in Baku, as well as in all universities of the country. Baku Slavic University has a Sunday school that teaches the Ukrainian language and a society that teaches the languages and culture of the Caucasian peoples. Branches of higher education institutions, technical and humanitarian colleges, Lankaran State University operate in the regions like Guba, Gusar, Zagatala, Sheki, Astara, etc., where national minorities live compactly. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan traditionally signs congratulatory letters on the occasion of national and religious holidays and ceremonies of minorities. With the material and organizational support of relevant government agencies, national minority and religious holidays are celebrated in Azerbaijan every year, numerous conferences and round tables, presentations, poetry and music evenings, concert-folklore programs and other socio-cultural events are held. With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the organization of the Ministry of Culture, traditional music festivals, gala concerts, ethnographic exhibitions and other events dedicated to the art of national minorities are organized under the motto "Azerbaijan - homeland". In the field of work with religious minorities. 96% of the population of Azerbaijan are Muslims, and 4% are Christians, Jews and members of other religions. Since the beginning of the process of re-registration of religious organizations (01.09.2009), 942 religious organizations have been registered. From the confessional point of view, 907 of them are Islamic, and 35 are non-Islamic (Christian - 24; Jewish - 8; Baha'i - 2; Krishna - 1). There are 14 churches and 7 synagogues in Azerbaijan. State-registered Christian religious communities - Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, "Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Azerbaijan", Albanian-Udi Christian Community of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku "Azerbaijan Bible Society" Christian Religious Community, Baku “Molokan Spiritual-Christian” Religious Community, Sumgayit city “Molokan Spiritual-Christian” Religious Community, Gobustan region Hilmilli village “Molokan Spiritual-Christian” Religious Community, Ismayilli region Ivanovka village “Molokan-Spiritual-Christian” Religious Community, Gakh region Gakhingiloy St. Giorgi Church, Georgian Orthodox Christian Community, Alibeyli Village, Gakh

District, St. Nino Church, Georgian Orthodox Christian Community, Yeni Hayat Christian Bible Community, Baku Evangelical Lutheran Christian Community, Oghuz Albanian-Udi community, “Word of life” Christian religious community, “Word of life - 2” Sumgayit Christian religious community, Agape religious community of Evangelical Christian Baptists in Baku, “Seventh-day Adventists” religious community of Narimanov district of Baku city, “Seventh-day Adventists” Christian religious community of Ganja city, “New Apostol” Christian religious community of Baku city, “Vineyard Azerbaijan” Christian religious community, Baku Religious Community of Jehovah's Witnesses, Baku "Alov" Christian Religious Community, Baku "Star in the East" Christian Religious Community, Baku "Evangelical Christian Baptist Church" Religious Community. State-registered Jewish religious communities - Mountain Jews religious community of Baku, Mountain Jews religious community of Red Settlement of Guba region, Baku religious community of European Jews, Baku religious community of Georgian Jews, religious community of Azerbaijani Jews, religious community of Sumgayit Jews, Ganja city Jew religious community, Jewish religious community of Oguz city. Other registered non-Islamic religious communities are the Baha'i Religious Community in Baku, the Baha'i Religious Community in Sumgayit, and the Krishna Consciousness Religious Community in Baku. In its policy on religion, the Azerbaijani government has always focused on meeting the religious needs of ethnic minorities. Many historical and religious monuments in Baku and other cities and towns of the country, as well as in the southern and northern regions where ethnic minorities live compactly, have been repaired at the expense of the state and philanthropists. Russian and Georgian Orthodox temples were restored and given to the use of believers. The Church of Jen Mironosets, which was not used for its intended purpose during the Soviet era, was restored at the expense of an Azerbaijani businessman and handed over to the Russian Orthodox community. Roman Catholic Church was built in the center of Baku and officially opened in March 2008. In May 2011, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Holy See signed the Agreement on the Legal Status of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The historical Lutheran church in Baku was renovated by the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and put into operation in December 2010, and the necessary conditions were created for the Lutheran religious community to worship and hold ceremonies in the church. German-Lutheran churches have been thoroughly restored in the regions (Shamkir and Goygol districts). On 15 November 2013, the Orthodox Religious and Cultural Center of the Diocese of Baku and Azerbaijan was opened with the participation of Mr. , the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the initiative and support of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, two new synagogues were built for European and mountain Jews in the center of Baku in 2002 and 2011, respectively, which differed in architectural features and size from other Jewish temples not only in Azerbaijan but in the whole Caucasus. Gilaki synagogue in Girmizi settlement of Guba region was put into operation after major

restoration works. By the order of Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, since 2011 the state budget provides financial assistance to religious organizations, including Christian (Orthodox, Catholic, various Protestant communities), Jewish, Baha'i and Baku Krishna Consciousness religious communities. At the same time, in addition to Muslim places of worship in the country, churches, synagogues, Molokan and Protestant prayer houses are provided with free natural gas by the state. On 10 October 2018, the Foundation for Propagation of Moral Values, established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, implemented the "Tolerant Azerbaijan" project together with non-Islamic religious communities. Within the framework of this project, conferences were organized on the eve of their significant religious days together with the Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Mountain Jews Religious Community and the Albanian-Udi Christian Religious Community.

Other events

Azerbaijan actively participates in the development and promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue in the world and hosts prestigious international events. The Baku Process was initiated by Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the conference titled "Intercultural dialogue is the basis of sustainable development and peace in Europe and its neighboring regions" held in Baku in December 2008 with the participation of Ministers of Culture of the Council of Europe member states. The following events have been held since 2011: 5 times World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), 6 times Baku International Humanitarian Forum (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018). years), 2 times Summits of World Religious Leaders (2010 and 2019), 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (2016). INFORMATION

UNGA resolution AIRES/751187 entitled "Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons, based on religion or belief'

On sub-paragraphs "c 11 of paragraph 7 and "a" of paragraph 8 of the resolution (encourage training of civil servants to implement effective advocacy strategies; take measures to ensure that civil servants do not discriminate on the basis of religion or belief in the performance of their duties): Number of training courses were held including but not limited to compulsory training course for candidates who succeeded in the competition for recruitment to the judiciary at the Academy of Justice in 2020 and the 1st quarter of 2021, initial training course for candidates for judges, employees of the Judicial Expertise Center of the Ministry of Justice and new employees of the Medical Service "Prohibition of Discrimination under the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 14)", "Prohibition of Discrimination" in distance learning curricula. Practice in the application of Article 14 of the Convention". It is noted that in November 2021, a training course for judges on "Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of discrimination)" will be held. On sub-item "f11 of item 7 of the resolution (determination of criminal liability for incitement of violence based on religion or belief): Article 111 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan discriminates against racism (apartheid), Article 167 - obstruction of religious rites, Article 167 .1 - compulsion to practice religion or financing of these acts on the basis of religious enmity, religious radicalism or religious fanaticism Article 168 provides for criminal liability for infringing on the rights of citizens under the guise of performing religious rites, and Article 168.1 provides for criminal liability for violating the requirements of religious propaganda, religious rites and ceremonies. In accordance with Article 283.1 of the Criminal Code, actions aimed at inciting national, racial, social or religious hatred and enmity, degrading national dignity, as well as restricting the rights or determining the preferences of citizens depending on their national, racial or religious affiliation, as well as criminal liability for the use of mass media. On sub-paragraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph 8 of the resolution (promoting religious freedom and pluralism by enabling members of all religious communities to practice their religions and contribute openly and equally to society; to encourage participation); According to Article 18 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, religion is separate from the state in the Republic of Azerbaijan. All religious beliefs are equal before the law. The spread and propagation of religions (religious movements) that degrade human dignity or contradict the principles of humanity are prohibited. According to Article 25 of the Constitution, the state guarantees equality of rights and freedoms to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, language, sex, origin, property status, position of service, beliefs, membership in political parties, trade unions and other public associations. It is prohibited to restrict human and civil rights and freedoms on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, language, sex, origin, belief, political and social affiliation. According to Article 48 of the Constitution, everyone has the right to freedom of conscience. Everyone has the right to determine their religion independently, to practice any religion alone or in association with others, or not to believe in any religion, and to express and disseminate their beliefs about religion. In addition, according to this article, the performance of religious rites is free, as long as it does not violate public order or contradict public morality. No one may be compelled to express (demonstrate) his or her religious beliefs or beliefs, to perform religious rites, or to participate in religious rites. According to the Presidential Decree "On Establishment of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan" dated June 21, 2001, the main tasks of the committee are to create appropriate conditions for the implementation of Article 48 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It consists of ensuring control over its observance and state registration of religious organizations. According to Article 71 of the Constitution, under no circumstances can anyone be compelled to express their religion, conscience, opinions or beliefs and be prosecuted for them. At the same time, Article 1 of the Law on Freedom of Religion of 20 August 1992 states that there are no obstacles to a person's expression of religious beliefs, participation in worship, religious rites or ceremonies, or religious studies, as well as religious beliefs and religious life. It is prohibited to propagate the style by using or threatening to use force, as well as for the purpose of creating racial, national, religious, social enmity and hostility. It should be noted that the Law prohibits the spread and propagation of religions (religious movements) that degrade human dignity or contradict the principles of humanity. Freedom of religion may be restricted only in the interests of public safety, public order, health or morals, or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others, as provided by law and where necessary in a democratic society. According to Article 4 of the Law, everyone is equal before the law and the courts, regardless of religion. Indication of a person's religious affiliation in official documents is allowed only at his request. According to Article 5, all religions and religious organizations are equal before the law. No religion (religious movement) or religious organization can be defined as having any advantages or restrictions over others. Officials, other individuals and legal entities shall be liable for violation of the legislation on freedom of religion in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic. Thus, Article 516 of the Code of Administrative Offenses establishes liability for violation of the legislation on freedom of religion. Part 39 of the National Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights in the Republic of Azerbaijan, approved by Presidential Decree No. 1880 of 28 December 2006, states that the relevant state shall It is planned to hold regular awareness-raising events in the cities and districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It should be noted that under the Law on Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Detainees, detainees have the right to perform religious rites and to use religious equipment and literature. Meals, health status and religious traditions should be taken into account when preparing meals for detainees or prisoners. Freedom of conscience and religion shall be guaranteed to those arrested or detained. They can perform religious rites, use religious equipment and literature in detention. Appropriate conditions shall be created by the administration of the place of detention for the performance of religious rites. The performance of religious rites shall not violate the rights of other detained or arrested persons. Detained or arrested persons may perform religious rites with the participation of religious figures invited from state-registered religious associations through the administration of the place of detention in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is also noted that according to the Code of Execution of Punishments, prisoners have the right to participate in the performance of religious rites during the execution and serving of sentences. Prisoners are guaranteed freedom of conscience and religion. They have the right to believe or not to believe in any religion. At the request of convicts in precinct-type penitentiary institutions, they may be allowed to visit places of worship within the administrative-territorial unit where the sentence is served. Religious figures of religious associations registered in accordance with the established procedure shall be invited to penitentiary institutions at the request of convicts. Prisoners are allowed to perform religious rites, use religious equipment and literature in penitentiaries. For this purpose, the administration of the penitentiary institution shall allocate an appropriate place. With the personal security of clergy, they may be released from solitary confinement in special regime penitentiaries, disciplinary and penitentiary institutions, and cell-type rooms. At the request of prisoners whose lives are in danger due to serious illness, clerics may be invited to prisons to perform the necessary religious rites. On sub-item "e" of item 8 of the resolution (opposition to the propaganda of religious hatred and intolerance, which includes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence): The Law on Combating Religious Extremism of December 4, 2015 establishes the legal and organizational framework for combating religious extremism, and the rights and responsibilities of state bodies and citizens in the fight against religious extremism. Thus, in accordance with Article 3 of the Law, the fight against religious extremism is based on the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as ensuring territorial integrity and security, protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, detection and prevention of religious extremism. aims to minimize, identify and eliminate the causes and conditions of religious extremism and religious extremist activities, as well as the financing of religious extremism.

Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan