In an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the authors accused the government in Baku of interfering in the judiciary to punish critics of President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled the oil-rich Caucasus nation for more than two decades.
“We are deeply disappointed that the European Parliament resolutions on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan remain on paper, while the European commission is not mobilizing its resources to address the issue of political prisoners in the country,” the letter said, according to a Wednesday report by news portal Caucasian Knot.
Among the signatories are journalists Khafis Babaly and Mehman Aliyev, who are serving long prison sentences.
The letter says that while Baku seeks closer ties with Brussels, authorities at home are cracking down on critical journalists, academics and members of civil society and the opposition.
President Aliyev’s rule is “repressive,” Samara Seyidova told dpa, echoing the accusations.
Seyidova is the wife of opposition leader Ali Karimli, who has been held in pre-trial detention for months.
“We have no freedom of expression. Even critical comments on social media can result in 20 or 30 days in jail,” she said.
According to her, there are 340 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, including 24 journalists.
Karimli is accused of plotting a coup with alleged Russian assistance. Seyidova described the charges as “false and ridiculous,” saying her husband is a pro-Western politician who has opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies, including in the war in Ukraine.
How her husband’s trial proceeds will also depend on pressure from European countries, she said, adding that the opposition hopes the EU and the United States will push Aliyev toward the rule of law, free elections and greater democracy.
In December, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the persecution and imprisonment of political opponents of President Aliyev, calling for their release and urging EU leaders to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials involved in the repression.
GNA