On May 20th, the Committee for the Protection of Civil Society released a statement reacting to the recently accepted Act of Amnesty.
The National Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted an Act of Amnesty on the 20
th
of May, in observance of Republic Day, May 28th. The Act will cover 10 thousand convicts, of which 3500 will be released, reports Turan News Agency.
The Amnesty was initiated by Mehriban Aliyeva, who is a member of the National Parliament of the RA, the Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, in addition to being a full – time First Lady. This is the fourth Act of Amnesty accepted by the parliament on the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva.
This initiative and the adoption of the Amnesty deserves respect, as it gives a chance to people to come back to their ordinary lives outside the torture chambers of prisons.
However, the fact that not a single political prisoner has been granted amnesty is deeply regrettable, as all of them are victims of the regime who have been severely oppressed for their attempts to stand up for their ideals and the ideals of the DRA, which have largely been forgotten by modern Azerbaijan’s authorities.
This Act of Amnesty is another testimony to the fact proving that the political regime in Azerbaijan — that has driven the country and society in general into a deep, socio-political and socio-economic crisis — will not accept any dissent against their misguided and harmful policies that suppress civil and political freedom, the creation of civil society and the transparent rule of law.
The Committee on the Protection of Civil Society has thus called for the authorities to:
r
elease all political prisoners,
end further prosecution of political opponents,
end policies that allow for political and economic monopoly,
begin a broad dialogue with all layers of society in order to lift the country out of the crisis,
realize the goals and tasks that were put before the country 98 years ago upon the creation of the DRA.
