The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan–a coalition of 20 press freedom organizations, including CPJ–issued a joint call to the Council of Europe today to continue pressing Baku to release imprisoned journalist Eynulla Fatullayev.
On Friday, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers–the body tasked with supervising the implementation of the rulings of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights by member-states–issued a strongly worded decision, calling on Azerbaijan to “remove without further delay” all obstacles to Fatullayev’s release. The European Court had issued two decisions, in March and October 2010, ordering that Fatullayev be freed at once. As a Council of Europe member, Azerbaijan is bound to abide by the court’s decisions, but has been defying the ruling on Fatullayev for a year.
Friday’s decision by the Committee of Ministers followed a three-day joint mission to Strasbourg by CPJ, Article 19, Index on Censorship, and the Media Rights Institute-Baku.
Read today’s International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan press release here.