Readmissed should be guaranteed protection from reprisals – human rights activistSocial
Baku/03.02.22/ In the report of the Ombudsman for 2021, which was discussed on March 1 in the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, a proposal was made to prepare a “strategic document” for the integration of persons readmitted to Azerbaijan. In particular, it contains a number of recommendations for solving the social problems of persons returned under readmission.
Against this background, human rights activists draw attention to cases of political persecution of the readmissees and suggest reflecting in this document the inadmissibility of repressive measures against persons returned to the country.
In particular, at least 4 people deported from Germany last year are currently in prison on charges of drug trafficking. They deny the allegations and say they were arrested for their political views.
Should the said document separately reflect the inadmissibility of persecution of the readmissees?
An MP from the ruling party, Aydin Mirzazade, told Turan that any allegations or accusations must be based on concrete evidence. In his opinion, Azerbaijan is a democratic legal state. “Azerbaijan is open to the world. Our citizens can move freely. Foreign citizens are also free to come to our country. In this regard, our citizens apply for citizenship abroad, and in case of refusal, they are deported from this country and returned to Azerbaijan. There have been many such cases so far, and these people have returned to the country,” Mirzazade said.
In his opinion, special centers may be needed to facilitate the reintegration of returned citizens. “They need help in finding housing, work, involving children in education. These centers cannot be considered as points of isolation. And if a citizen does not want, he can refuse the services of the center. If such centers are created, journalists and human rights activists will be able to follow his activities,” the deputy said.
At the same time, he pointed out that the readmitted persons are citizens of Azerbaijan and have all the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. “Their political views, their activities are their right,” Mirzazade said.
The head of the Civil Rights Institute, Bashir Suleymanli, drew attention to the fact that the number of people returning to Azerbaijan from abroad has sharply increased. This trend is observed after the visit by the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan to a number of Western European countries.
Activisits believe that this circumstance raises suspicions about the behind-the-scenes agreements of the Azerbaijani authorities on the refusal of the person who asked for political asylum and their prompt return. “However, these are assumptions and we have no documentary evidence,” Suleymanli said.
According to the human rights activist, if the Ombudsman proposes to adopt a document on reintegration into society of the readmis, then it should also regulate the issue of the security of citizens entering the country, the inadmissibility of their persecution in their homeland due to political views.
“Many people left the country for fear of reprisals. Now these people must be guaranteed that they will not be persecuted again. And the ombudsman institution should fulfill its mission to protect the rights of these citizens,” Suleymanli said. –06Â-
