There are political prisoners among those pardoned by today’s decree of the head of state. These are leader of the Citizens and Development Party Ali Aliyev and human rights activist from Sumgayit Elchin Mamed.
At the same time, the list includs three convicts in the so-called “Terter case” – Nusrat Gurbanov, Vagif Aliyev, Hajiyev Süleyman and Seymur Hasanov.
As well, two defendants in the Ganja case – Samir Ibragimov and Habib Gurbanov.
However, there is no pardoned from a high-profile “Nardaran case”.
Dozens of activists of the Party of People’s Front of Azerbaijan, subjected to mass repressions in recent years, have not been pardoned either too.
The list also does not include journalists and bloggers, as well as a large group of political activists deported from Germany and convicted on false drug charges.
“This pardon did not solve the problem of political prisoners in any way and it is difficult to call it an act of humanism,” said Rufat Safarov, leader of the human rights organization “Line of Defense”.
At the same time, the head of state pardoned the former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture Rafik Bayramov and ex-officers of the liquidated Ministry of National Security – Azer Mehdiyev and Zaur Mammadov, convicted of serious crimes – corruption, extortion and blackmail.