Luxembourg’s parliament demands immediate release of all unlawfully imprisoned persons in Azerbaijan

Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies has adopted a resolution condemning the Azerbaijani government’s sanctions against the freedom of speech of lawmakers and representatives of the civil society, Armenpress reports.

The resolution demands Azerbaijan to urgently and unconditionally release all unlawfully imprisoned persons.

Below is the full text of the resolution:

The Chamber of Deputies,

taking into consideration:

– Resolution 2527 adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on January 24, 2024, underscoring the concerns raised in relation to the lawfulness and compliance of these powers,

– The 26 August 2024 decision of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on declaring 76 PACE deputies, including Luxembourg deputies Octavie Modert and Yves Cruchten, as persona non grata,

– The joint strong condemnation of Luxembourg and 13 member states of the Council of Europe towards that action applied against democratically elected deputies and the unambiguous call to cancel it,

– The conclusions of the OSCE monitoring mission, which says that the February 7, 2024 presidential snap elections in Azerbaijan were held in a restrictive environment suppressing criticism, without significant political alternatives,

– The October 24, 2024 resolution of the European Parliament which points out the increasing pressure by the Azerbaijani authorities against civil society, activists, political opposition and independent news media, thus creating an atmosphere of fear,

– The Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reports, according to which approximately 300 persons are currently unlawfully imprisoned in Azerbaijan for political reasons

Reminding:

– The previously adopted resolutions about Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,

– The importance of open dialogue with civil society and NGOs to ensure the freedom of their activities,

Condemns:

– The sanctions imposed by the Azerbaijani authorities against the freedom of speech of deputies and representatives of civil society,

– The arbitrary arrests targeting civil society, journalists and other critics,

Demands:

– The immediate and unconditional release of all unlawfully imprisoned persons,

– Lifting of all sanctions that impede the free movement of democratically elected representatives,

Instructs: 

– The President of the Chamber of Deputies to officially convey this text to the President of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, as a sign of commitment to parliamentary dialogue and diplomacy,

– The Luxembourg’s delegation at PACE to submit a proposal for an urgent discussion at the upcoming November 28-29 session,

– The Luxembourg members of parliament [deputies] to use all possibilities of parliamentary diplomacy to support independent civil society and the right to peaceful assembly,

Reiterates:

– Its commitment to protect democracy, the rule of law and human rights, by highlighting it in the bilateral and multilateral relations with Azerbaijan.