A number of organizations appeal to PACE to further suspend Azerbaijani delegation activities

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined nine other organizations in calling on the Council of Europe’s parliament, when it meets at the end of the month, to challenge Azerbaijan’s escalating repression, including against the media.

The Azerbaijani delegation is currently suspended from participating in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) because the country has not fulfilled “major commitments” on human rights, the Strasbourg-based human rights body has said, citing a number of examples of its “lack of cooperation.”

The joint letter calls on parliamentarians to maintain the suspension until key demands are met, including the release of imprisoned journalists. It also urges the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset to launch an Article 52 inquiry into Azerbaijan over its persistent violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, a provision that it previously used against the country in 2015.