Source: Frankfurt Allgemeine
German athletes have demanded the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan,
Frankfurt Allgemeine
just reported.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (“DOSB”) on June 4, 2015 joined the call of Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, to free Azerbaijani jailed activists before the European Games.
“Respect for fundamental human rights and the right to criticize human rights violations are non-negotiable,” DOSB spokesman Christian Schreiber told
Frankfurt Allgemeine.
“Regardless of sport, the situation in Baku with the first European Games, we join the demand of the UN Special Rapporteur and emphasize that these demands should apply to all counties where people who fight for human rights are jailed.”
Schreiber also demanded that human rights concerns should factor into the process of awarding major sports events.
DOSB Chairman Michael Vesper welcomed the call of the “UN Special Rapporteur, who used the European Games to celebrate the Olympic spirit of freedom and inclusion.”
“Of course, we are in solidarity with the people who are working in Azerbaijan for human rights,” Vesper wrote. The DOSB stands “of course” for human rights and freedom of the press. “We will address both issues in Baku,” he said.
Crackdown on human rights activists, journalists and international rights groups has intensified in Azerbaijan, ruled by Ilham Aliyev since 2003, ahead of the European Games. Reporters without Borders ranked Azerbaijan 162 out of 180, behind Belarus, Egypt and Kazakhstan. The Azerbaijani government is paying for travel and accommodation expenses for more than 6,000 athletes participating in the inaugural European Games.
