Baku, April 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: Azerbaijan has strongly condemned a recent statement made by Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, regarding judicial matters in the country. The response came from Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who characterized the remarks as “unacceptable, unfounded, and totally biased.”
In a formal statement issued on Monday, Hajizada said the comments made by O’Flaherty on April 29 concerning ongoing investigations and court rulings in Azerbaijan represent “another ongoing unsuccessful attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan and judicial procedures.”
“The human rights and fundamental freedoms are guaranteed and fully respected in the Republic of Azerbaijan in line with its national legislation and undertaken international commitments,” Hajizada emphasized. He added that Azerbaijan’s judicial institutions operate independently and are fully empowered to ensure the protection of those rights in accordance with the rule of law.
The spokesperson underlined that no individual in Azerbaijan is granted special privileges based on professional status, nor is anyone exempt from legal obligations. He affirmed that the individuals referenced in O’Flaherty’s statement have been charged with serious violations of national legislation, and their cases are being handled in strict accordance with the criminal procedural code.
“All their rights before the court have been fully provided,” Hajizada stated.
The Azerbaijani official also called on the Commissioner for Human Rights to refrain from interfering in Azerbaijan’s internal legal processes and from placing undue pressure on the country’s independent judiciary.
“Instead, we urge the HCR of the Council of Europe to focus on the multiple systematic problems in some other CoE member states in the field of human rights—such as rising Islamophobia, degrading treatment of migrants and asylum seekers, political persecution, the loss of lives in prisons, and widespread corruption in European institutions,” Hajizada concluded.
The statement underscores Azerbaijan’s position on the sovereignty of its legal system and its commitment to upholding national and international legal standards.
