EU Welcomes Azerbaijan’s Release Of Human Rights Lawyer Intigam Aliyev

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The office of the European Union External Action said Monday that it welcomed Azerbaijan’s release of human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev.

“A decision by the Supreme Court to release on probation Intigam Aliyev, a prominent human rights lawyer who spent the last two years in jail, is another positive development in Azerbaijan, following the pardon earlier this month of representatives of political parties, NGOs and journalists, to mark the Nowruz holiday,” said the spokesperson for the European Union External Action in a statement.

According to the EU statement, “These steps have been long awaited and the European Union hopes that further steps will follow, leading to the full release and rehabilitation of all those currently imprisoned or under restriction of movement in Azerbaijan on political grounds, in line with Azerbaijan’s international commitments as a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.”

Aliyev is a widely respected human rights defender and lawyer in Azerbaijan, who was arrested along with other human rights activists and jailed in mid-2014 as part of a country-wide crackdown.

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