Senior Azeri official dismisses opposition claims
Shahin Aliyev, an Azerbaijani presidential
administration official, has dismissed as baseless the opposition’s
allegations about freedom of assembly being strangled in
Azerbaijan.
Opposition activists have lately attempted to stage several unauthorized protests in the center of the capital, Baku, but they were blocked by the police.
Aliyev reminded that the law regulating the right of citizens to assemble freely is in place in Azerbaijan, and it has repeatedly undergone scrutiny both by the Council of Europe Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
"We have received relevant positive feedback regarding this law from those institutions," the presidential administration official noted.
Aliyev said that according to the standing Law on Freedom of Assembly, any public actions must be authorized by the city and regional executive authorities. Accordingly, in the capital such actions are agreed with the Baku Mayor’s Office.
"If the authorities comply with this law, I don’t think this implies a violation of the right to freedom of assembly. The Baku City Executive Authority has ample arguments for declining appeals for holding public actions."
Opposition activists have lately attempted to stage several unauthorized protests in the center of the capital, Baku, but they were blocked by the police.
Aliyev reminded that the law regulating the right of citizens to assemble freely is in place in Azerbaijan, and it has repeatedly undergone scrutiny both by the Council of Europe Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
"We have received relevant positive feedback regarding this law from those institutions," the presidential administration official noted.
Aliyev said that according to the standing Law on Freedom of Assembly, any public actions must be authorized by the city and regional executive authorities. Accordingly, in the capital such actions are agreed with the Baku Mayor’s Office.
"If the authorities comply with this law, I don’t think this implies a violation of the right to freedom of assembly. The Baku City Executive Authority has ample arguments for declining appeals for holding public actions."
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