Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, made today the following statement:
“I am increasingly concerned about the situation in Azerbaijan regarding the respect for human rights. The recent sentencing of two youth activists, Mr. Jabbar Savalan and Mr Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, on 4 May and 18 May respectively, is of concern to us. In both cases the circumstances give reason to assume that the judicial proceedings were overshadowed by political motivations. We call upon Azerbaijan to fully respect fundamental freedoms and to guarantee the due application of the rule of law according to international standards to which Azerbaijan has committed itself. We also call on Azerbaijan to provide for a fair and swift revision of the verdicts.”