Strasbourg, 20 February 2008 CommDH(2008)2 Original version REPORT BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS MR THOMAS HAMMARBERG ON HIS VISIT TO AZERBAIJAN 3 - 7 September 2007 For the attention of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly CommDH(2008)2 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 1: NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION............................5 CHAPTER 2: THE RULE OF LAW ...........................................................................................7 I. The judicial system .............................................................................................................7 A. The independence of judges and the administration of the judiciary............................7 B. Auxiliaries of justice and legal aid.................................................................................8 C. The Prosecutor General’s Office ..................................................................................9 II. The problems linked to corruption ...................................................................................10 III. Law enforcement agencies.............................................................................................11 A. Law enforcement agencies and conditions of detention.............................................11 B. The Procedural Rules in case of arrest, the guaranties under the common law ........11 C. The interrogation centres for organised crime and irregular migrants........................12 IV. The penitentiary system (including pre-trial detention centres and colonies) ................12 A. General Conditions .....................................................................................................13 B. Long term confinement: a greater risk of inhumane treatment ...................................14 C. The question of life sentences....................................................................................15 CHAPTER 3: FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS .........................................................................17 I. Freedom of Expression ....................................................................................................17 A. Access to information: a structural problem................................................................17 B. A matter of urgency: the decriminalisation of defamation...........................................18 II. Freedom of association and Peaceful Assembly.............................................................20 A. Freedom of association ..............................................................................................20 B. Freedom of peaceful assembly...................................................................................20 III. Freedom of conscience and religion...............................................................................21 A. The legislative framework ...........................................................................................21 B. Conscientious objection to military service .................................................................21 CHAPTER 4: MINORITIES .....................................................................................................22 I. Lack of a legislative framework ........................................................................................22 II. Problems related to education and languages ................................................................22 III. Problems related to the Media........................................................................................23 IV. Armenians and Russian citizens from Chechnya...........................................................23 CHAPTER 5: DISCRIMINATION / VULNERABLE GROUPS ................................................24 I. Women .............................................................................................................................24 A. Domestic Violence ......................................................................................................24 B. Participation in public and economic life.....................................................................24 C. Trafficking in human beings........................................................................................25 II. Children ...........................................................................................................................25 A. The Absence of Juvenile Justice System ...................................................................25 B. The Institutionalisation ................................................................................................26 C. Violence against children............................................................................................26 III. People with disabilities ...................................................................................................27 CHAPTER 6: ...........................................................................................................................28 THE SITUATION STEMMING FROM THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT ................28 I. Refugees and IDPs ..........................................................................................................28 A. Causes for Displacement............................................................................................28 B. The legislative framework ...........................................................................................28 C. The main human rights concerns ...............................................................................29 D. The right to permanently settle and the right to return................................................29 II. Missing persons and prisoners of war .............................................................................29 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................31 APPENDIX Comments by the Azerbaijani authorities ................................................................................34 3 CommDH(2008)2 INTRODUCTION 1. The Commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg carried out an assessment visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan from 3 to 7 September 2007. The visit was part of a continuous process of regular country missions by the Commissioner to all member states of the Council of Europe to assess their effective respect for human rights1. He was accompanied by the Director of his Office, Mr. Marc Scheuer, Mr. Alexandre Guessel, Deputy to the Director and by Miss Anne-Laure Duval. 2. During the course of his visit, the Commissioner met with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the Minister of Justice, Mr. F. Mammadov, the Deputy Prime-Minister and Chairman of the State Committee on Refugees and Internally Displaced People (hereafter IDPs), Mr. A. Hasanov, the Minister of National Security and Chairman of the State Committee of Prisoners of War and Missing Persons, Mr. E. Mahmudov, the Minister of Health, Mr. O. Shiraliyev. He also met with the Mayor of Baku, Mr. H. Abutalibov and the Mayor of Ganja, Mr. E. Aziziv. He held discussions with parliamentarians, members of the judiciary, the Ombudsperson as well as civil society representatives. The Commissioner also visited institutions and sites of human rights relevance, such as: detention centres, orphanages, a psychiatric hospital, accommodations provided for internally displaced people. 3. The Commissioner expresses his great appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its generous cooperation and for the organisation of his visit. He extends his gratitude to all people he met during the visit for their open and constructive attitude and exchange of views. The Commissioner appreciated the constant support of the Ombudsperson, Ms. E. Suleymanova. He thanks the many civil society representatives who came to meet him and kindly shared their expertise and valuable information on the human rights challenges they have encountered. 4. The main purpose of the visit was to take stock of the current human rights situation, identify difficulties and their root causes as well as opportunities for improving the protection and promotion of human rights in Azerbaijan. Following on from the open dialogue with all stakeholders during the Commissioner’s visit, the report contains both an analysis and recommendations upon which the country can build in the future. The report should serve as a framework and a tool for future cooperation and follow-up. The Commissioner calls upon all authorities and institutions concerned to contribute their collective expertise for further progress in that spirit. 5. This report is based on information acquired during the visit as well as written statements and reports provided by authorities and civil society organisations. Relevant reports prepared by monitoring mechanisms of the Council of Europe and other international organisations are also referred to. This first assessment report of the Commissioner in relation to Azerbaijan does not provide an exhaustive analysis of human rights challenges in the country but rather reflects what the Commissioner considers to be the priorities for improving the protection of human rights at the national level. These priorities include inter alia: the situation of IDPs and their right to return,