UN rights experts deeply concerned about post-election events in Azerbaijan
Four independent United Nations human rights experts are "deeply concerned" about information they have received that
one person died, many were injured and hundreds of protesters and election workers were detained in Azerbaijan in
connection with the 15 October presidential elections.
"The experts…have received information that hundreds of demonstrators have been harassed, attacked, arrested and
detained by security forces, who have apparently used excessive force to disperse demonstrators, leading to the death of
at least one person and to many others being injured," said a statement issued by the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights (UNHCHR).
"Opposition leaders and journalists were specifically targeted, with many of them being arrested and detained. A number
of independent election observers and polling station officials, who refused to sign vote tallies they alleged were
fraudulent, also appear to have been arrested."
The four experts - three Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, arbitrary executions and torture, and the Special
Representative on human rights defenders - urged the Azerbaijani Government to conduct transparent and independent
investigations of the allegations "in order to assess the accountability of law enforcement and security officials,"
UNHCHR said.
They reminded the Government of Azerbaijan that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "includes the
freedom to hold opinions without interference" and called on it to respect the rights to assemble and protest.
Under Article 5 of the Declaration, they added, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment, or punishment."