PACE Azerbaijani delegation demonstratively left the session of the Committee on Human Rights because of the Committee members’ demands of unconditional release of all political prisoners of Azerbaijan. As member of PACE delegation of Azerbaijan Samed Seidov reported after his arrival in Baku, the majority of the members of the Committee had come out for the Council of Europe passing a resolution on releasing Azeri political prisoners. In response to that Seidov addressed the protest statement of the Azeri delegation, after which the delegation members demonstratively left the hall. Then a decision was made to continue discussion of the problem in PACE Bureau. As reported by “Arminfo” agency making reference to Baku mass media, at PACE session the reporter on Azerbaijan George Klerfait presented 5-6 lists of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. The number of the political prisoners in these lists runs up to 500 people. Two Bureau sittings – January 14 and 21 – will be held before PACE session planned for January 24. But it is not clear which one the problem of Azeri political prisoners will be discussed at. Meanwhile, official Baku expectations in this regard are rather pessimistic. In the opinion of diplomats, who wished to remain anonymous, PACE Bureau will most likely support the resolution draft, too, together with the formulation of “unconditional release of political prisoners.”
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