Catherine Lalumière, the President of the Association of Schools of Political Studies (ASPS), made a statement following the 18 November ruling by Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court on the appeal by Ilgar Mammadov, calling for his release. The Strasbourg case against Azerbaijan was brought by Ilgar Mammadov, a leading human rights defender, following his arrest and detention on politically motivated charges after he announced he would be standing against Ilham Aliyev in the country’s 2013 presidential election. Calling for action, and not just words, Catherine Lalumière said the EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE must ensure proper implementation of the Court’s decisions and full respect for human rights including freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of the media and independence of the judiciary both in Azerbaijan and other member states.
Full statement of Catherine Lalumière
Statement of the Council of Europe on the Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court
