Azernews.Az

The taskforce on "political prisoners" representing Azerbaijani officials and rights champions met in Baku on Monday to discuss a presidential pardon decree that is expected in the coming days.
Government representatives said the decree is to be signed on the eve of December 31, New Year's Eve and Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis.
Rights defender Saida Gojamanly did not rule out that the jailed journalists would be affected by the amnesty. Nonetheless, it is unknown at this point the names of which media representatives have been forwarded by the pardon commission to the head of state, as this information is kept confidential.
Officials attending the meeting pointed out that three of the imprisoned journalists have yet to file an application for pardon - Mukhalifat (Opposition) newspaper's executive Yashar Aghazada, an employee of opposition daily Azadlig, satirical journalist Mirza Sakit and the editor of Nota Bene newspaper Faramaz Novruzoglu.
Nine journalists are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan.
Gojamanly noted that rights champions had decided during the discussions that they would appeal to the president on their own over pardoning all of the country's jailed journalists. She warned that if journalists and "political prisoners" are not released under the upcoming decree, Azerbaijan could face severe criticism during the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) due January 22-26.
"We do not rule out the possibility of PACE's appointing a special rapporteur on political prisoners in that case," Gojamanly said.
Head of a President's Office department Fuad Alasgarov, head of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE Samad Seyidov, law enforcers, and members of the Commission on Pardon under the President attended the discussions.
4,584 persons have been released under 42 pardon decrees in the country since 1995.