[JURIST] The Council of Europe (COE) [official website] called on [press release] Azerbaijan Friday to halt the arrest and detention of human rights activists in the country. COE Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks [official profile], in a speech given after a two-day visit to Azerbaijan, criticized the government’s actions, stating that “the targeting of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan must stop,” and further that “the urgency of this visit was dictated by the arrest and detention over last summer of virtually all the civil society partners of my Office.” Muiznieks cited shortcomings in non-government organization legislation in Azerbaijan as a critical factor leading to the arrest of many activists. In his April 2014 Observations [text, PDF] regarding Azerbaijan, the commissioner questioned new legislation passed restricting the activities of NGOs stating, “this new law worsens an already cumbersome situation in which NGO activities were disproportionally restricted. The authorities should alleviate, rather than complicate the administrative requirements for NGOs.” According to Muiznieks these restrictions require activists to work on the “fringe of the law.” A number of prominent Azeri activists have been detained [Reuters report] this year including Leyla Yunus, head of the Baku-based Institute for Peace and Democracy, journalist Rauf Mirkadyrov, and human rights activist Rasul Jafarov.

The human rights situation in Azerbaijan has drawn heavy criticism from the UN and various rights groups. In September the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture [official websites] suspended [JURIST report] its delegation to Azerbaijan citing the government’s prevention of access to a number of locations where individuals are being detained. In August a court in Azerbaijan [official website] upheld [JURIST report] the conviction and detention of top human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev. Aliyev was arrested in 2011 on charges including illegal commercial activity, tax evasion and abuse of power. In 2012 Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [advocacy websites] urged [JURIST report] Azerbaijani authorities to conduct an investigation into the violent attack by police and security personnel against journalist Idrak Abbasov.