Azerbaijan reacts to CPT statement 

ArmInfo.Azerbaijan refutes criticism of Council of Europe's Committee for Prevention of Torture  and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in its public statement, the statement of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

''We deeply regret that the Council of Europe's Committee for the  Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or  Punishment (CPT) has decided to issue a public statement concerning  Azerbaijan on 3 July 2024. CPT has also taken an unprecedented  decision to publish the whole report prepared following its ad hoc  visit of 2022, without the proper consent of Azerbaijan as it is  required by the European Convention against Torture and Inhuman or  Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Such an approach is unfair,  unjustified, and legally questionable.

Since 2002 the CPT has conducted multiple periodic and ad hoc visits  and published reports on the implementation of the Convention by  Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has provided the government's response on  every point mentioned in the reports. Moreover, as also noted in the  public statement, appropriate steps have been taken to remedy  relevant imperfections, and the Committee's recommendations have  always been taken into account.

Throughout the years of cooperation, the Committee has been provided  with the necessary support on its visits to date. Not only have its  investigations on the spot been facilitated, but steps have been  taken to ensure that the delegation members are received at the  highest possible level and every effort has been made to strengthen  the foundations of co-operation.

It is especially unfortunate that this decision has been taken in the  present situation of relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of  Europe created following the biased decision by the Parliamentary  Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) not to ratify the  credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE in January 2024.

We reject the criticisms in the public statement, which are leveled  at some state institutions, holding them responsible rather than  engaging in constructive cooperation.

Azerbaijan is making great progress not only in the protection of  persons deprived of their liberty but also in bringing relevant  practices up to commonly accepted standards,'' the statement reads.

The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and  Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has issued a  public statement on Azerbaijan. This Statement, which is made in  application of Article 10 (2) of the Convention establishing the  Committee, addresses the persistent lack of cooperation by the  Azerbaijani authorities with the CPT.

The reason behind this exceptional decision to make a public  statement is the outright refusal of the Azerbaijani authorities to  cooperate with the CPT. The Committee made genuine attempts to engage  in a constructive dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities to  address matters that lie at the heart of the CPT's raison d'etre. The  CPT has detailed in its visit reports that it continues to receive  allegations of severe acts of ill-treatment and even of torture by  police officers. Yet, no action has been taken by the Ministry of  Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan to implement the Committee's  long-standing recommendations to end such practices. Further, the  Committee received no responses to the letters from its President to  promote dialogue through holding high-level talks in Baku or even  following the notification of a visit to the Azerbaijani authorities.  This represents a fundamental and unprecedented breach of the  Convention.

Given the seriousness of the issues at stake, relating to  ill-treatment and even torture by law enforcement officials of  detained persons, the CPT has also decided to publish the report on  the 2022 ad hoc visit to Azerbaijan as an annex to the public  statement.

As is made clear in the public statement, the Committee hopes that  the lack of cooperation does not lead to a permanent rupture in  relations with the Azerbaijani authorities. The CPT stands ready to  support the authorities to take decisive steps to uphold the  fundamental values to which Azerbaijan, as a member state of the  Council of Europe, has subscribed. In furtherance of its mandate, the  Committee is fully committed to pursuing a dialogue with the  Azerbaijani authorities to this end.