“European Commission must not be silent,” MEP McNamara on Armenian POWs held in Baku

Member of the European Parliament Michael McNamara has called on the EU to take action against the deteriorating human rights situation in Azerbaijan.

The Irish MEP made the remarks at European Parliament debates of the motion for a resolution on “Unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan.” 

He said Azerbaijan refuses to cooperate with international human rights organizations.

“The European Parliament must be concerned over the deteriorating human rights situation in Azerbaijan and the European Commission must not be silent,” he said, comparing the Azeri trials of Armenian captives with mock trials during the rule of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The trials, as well as refusing to allow access to the media and observers, must be condemned, the MEP said.

“I’d like to draw your attention on the fact that along with the judicial processes, Azerbaijan also refuses to cooperate with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Azerbaijan is shutting down the Baku branch of the Red Cross, which is the only international organization with access to the Armenians held in Baku,” the MEP said.

The resolution, which will be put up to vote on March 13, calls for the unconditional release and safe return of all the prisoners of war, hostages and other detained individuals unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan, strongly condemns the shams trials brought against them in violations of due process, and calls for a ban on entry to the EU institutions for Azerbaijani officials responsible for unlawful detentions and human rights violations, among others.