Letter to the Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

To Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

Council of Europe
Avenue de l’Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex
FRANCE

16 January 2017

We are writing with a view to the criminal case against the former Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr. Luca Volonte, who is being investigated by the Milan public prosecutor’s office for allegedly accepting €2.39m in bribes from two members of PACE, Mr. Elkhan Suleymanov and Mr. Muslim Mammadov, in exchange for his efforts to thwart the 2013 critical resolution on political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

We urge you to immediately expel the two members of the Azerbaijani delegation accused of bribing other members (Elkhan Suleymanov and Muslim Mammadov), pending a full investigation. Furthermore, we urge you to suspend the voting rights of the entire Azerbaijani delegation, which we believe were completely aware of the bribery but failed to take a single step to stop it.

The European Stability Initiative’s report: The European Swamp (Caviar Diplomacy Part 2) – Prosecutors, Corruption and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly [1] as well as the investigation conducted by the Italian broadcaster RAI reveal shameful details of the corruption scam.

To this end, the 2013 vote on Mr. Christoph Strässer’s resolution may not be considered legitimate. As a matter of urgency, PACE should immediately re-establish the mandate of a special rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan – a credible member of PACE with a solid record of scrutinising and reporting on human rights abuses – to write an objective report, in cooperation with the Council of Europe INGO conference experts and internationally-recognised rights watchdogs.

We recall that, in 2014, PACE, through its Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (AS Jur) decided to proceed with a separate report titled “Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship of the Council of Europe: What follow-up on respect for human rights”. Since then, there has been no meaningful follow-up after the 2014 decision.  In the most recent example, neither the As Jur rapporteur nor his colleagues at the Monitoring Committee, and not even the PACE leadership, reacted to the harsh ten-year sentences handed down by a court in Azerbaijan to young political activists Giyas Ibrahimov and Bayram Mammadov, along with allegations of ill-treatment during their detention. To the contrary, the European Union immediately issued a statement, in which they called the sentences “particularly worrying [2]”.

On 18 November 2016, the highest court in Azerbaijan considered the appeal by the Azerbaijani political prisoner and opposition leader Mr. Ilgar Mammadov against his seven-year long prison sentence and ruled to uphold it. The continued illegal imprisonment of Mr. Mammadov constitutes a blatant breach of Azerbaijan’s explicit legal obligations, and is an affront to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which has repeatedly demanded that Azerbaijan comply with the 2014 decision by the European Court of Human Rights and immediately and unconditionally release Ilgar Mammadov.  Contrary to the Committee of Ministers, which is now considering legal action against Azerbaijan, PACE has failed to take a decisive action against such a flagrant and persistent violation of the Convention and of the principles on which it is founded, including respect for the binding judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

To this end, we call on PACE to eliminate any trace of corruption and misconduct within the Pan-European human rights organisation, and to demonstrate a strong and consolidated stance on human rights violations in Azerbaijan. Specifically, we urge you do the following:

• – Immediately expel the two members of the Azerbaijani delegation accused of bribing other members (Elkhan Suleymanov and Muslim Mammadov), pending a full investigation.
• – Suspend the voting rights of the entire Azerbaijani delegation, pending a full investigation into the corruption and until Ilgar Mammadov and other political prisoners have been released.
• – Re-establish the mandate of a special rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan – a credible member of PACE with a solid record of scrutinising and reporting on human rights abuses – to write an objective report in cooperation with the Council of Europe INGO conference experts and internationally-recognised rights watchdogs.
• – Call for an urgent debate on the corruption scam within the Council of Europe; appoint a special ethical commission to investigate alleged involvement of the other members of PACE in the bribery case.

Thank you for considering this important matter.

Undersigned:

1. Intigam Aliyev, Chairman, Legal Education Society
2. Rasul Jafarov, human rights defender
3. Khadija Ismayilova, investigative journalist
4. Leyla Yunus, Director, Institute for Peace and Democracy
5. Mehman Aliyev, Director, Turan Information Agency
6. Annaghi Hajibayli, Chairman, Azerbaijani Lawyers Association
7. Asabali Mustafayev, President, Democracy and Human Rights Resource Center
8. Gubad Bayramov (Ibadoghlu), Chairman, Public Initiatives Center
9. Avaz Zeynalli, Editor-in-chief, Khural newspaper
10. Ogtay Gulaliyev, Coordinator, Public Alliance  “Azerbaijan Without Political Prisoners”
11. Khalid Baghirov, lawyer
12. Khalig Bahadir, journalist
13. Natig Jafarli, Executive secretary, Republican Alternative Movement
14. Shahin Hajiyev, Editor, Turan Information Agency
15. Fariz Namazov,  attorney
16. Nemat Karimli , attorney
17. Hafiz Babali, Deputy chairman, Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
18. Hakimeldostu Mehdiyev, journalist
19. Bashir Suleymanli, Director, Institute for Citizens’ Rights
20. Samira Aghayeva, lawyer
21. Parvin Guliyev, Youth Club public union
22. Zaur Akbar, President, Youth Atlantic Treaty Association
23. Latafat Malikova, Chairwoman , Regional Human Rights and Education Center
24. Ulvi Hasanli, NIDA Civic Movement
25. Turgut Gambar, NIDA Civic Movement
26. Necmin Kamilsoy, NIDA Civic Movement
27. Ilgar Taghi, brother of murdered journalist Rafig Taghi, human rights activist
28. Shahriyar  Gahraman, activist
29. Mehman Huseynov, Chairman, Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
30. Elchin Hasanzade, journalist
31. Ramiz Guliyev, journalist, former political prisoner
32. Elshan Hasanov, Chairman, Monitoring Centre for Political Prisoners
33. Fargana Novruzova, journalist
34. Yashar Aghazade, lawyer
35. Emin Huseynov, Co-founder, Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
36. Rashid Hajili, Director, Media Rights Institute
37. Alovsat Aliyev, Director, LEQAT LLC
38. Tahmina Taghiyeva, journalist
39. Gullu Jahangirova, human rights activist
40. Jasur Mammadov, Director, Caspian Defense Studies Institute
41. Lachin Mamishov, journalist
42. Elchin Mammad, Chairman, Public Association “Legal Education of Sumgayit Youth”
43. Orkhan Mammad, journalist, Meydan TV
44. Emin Aslanov, lawyer
45. Fikrat Huseynli, journalist, Azadliq newspaper
46. Arif Mammadov, Co-chairman, Democracy for Azerbaijan
47. Sevinj Mizayeva (Osmangizi), journalist
48. Ganimat Zahid, Editor-in-chief, Azadliq newspaper
49. Zohrab Ismayil, Chairman, Public Association for Assistance to Free Economy
50. Ordukhan Teymurkhan, human rights activist
51. Nizami Abdullayev,  journalist
52. Ilham Hasan, Chairman, European Co-ordination Center of Musavat Party
53. Idrak Abbasov, Co-founder, Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
54. Malahat Nasibova, Director, Democracy Development Resource Center
55. Sabuhi Gafarov, human rights defender
56. Arastun Orujlu, Director, East-West Research Center
57. Anar Orujov, Director, Kanal 13
58. Yashar Jafarli, human rights defender
59. Elchin Abdullayev, Chairman, Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Social Union
60. Leila Alieva, President, Regional Center for Strategic Studies

Signatories from international and partner organisations:

1. World Organisation Against Torture
2. People in Need
3. International Partnership for Human Rights 
4. Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights 
5. Netherlands Helsinki Committee
6. HumanRights.CH
7. Crude Accountability
8. Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights 
9. Human Rights Monitoring Institute  (Lithuania) 
10. Analytical Center for Interethnic Cooperation and Consultations (Georgia)
11. Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
12. Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russia)
13. Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law 
14. Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine) 
15. Human Rights Movement “Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan”
16. Albanian Helsinki Committee
17. Belarusian Human Rights House 
18. European Christian Workers Movement
19. Reporters Without Borders 
20. Human Rights House Foundation