UN experts urge release of Azerbaijani rights defender
GENEVA: Four UN special rapporteurs on Monday demanded the release of Azerbaijani rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli, who has been in detention for more than a year.
Mammadli was detained on April 29, 2024. His arrest was one of a series which critics said undermined Azerbaijan's credibility as a host of the United Nations COP29 climate change conference in November last year.
Mammadli chaired the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, which reported irregularities during the February 2024 presidential elections in the tightly controlled, oil-rich nation.
His arrest also came after he participated in events at the UN Human Rights Council, the special rapporteurs said in a statement.
"Defending human rights should never be considered a crime," the experts said.
"There are serious concerns that Mammadli's detention and prosecution may be in retaliation for his human rights work and his engagement with UN mechanisms," they said.
Mammadli risks up to eight years behind bars on smuggling charges, which rights groups claim are bogus.
"Civic participation, independent election monitoring, and cooperation with international mechanisms are the foundation of democratic societies," the experts said.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Kickstart your new journey with the Honda Shine 125
Honda
Learn More
Undo
"Criminalising these activities undermines the rule of law."
The statement was issued by the special rapporteurs on human rights defenders, on freedom of peaceful assembly, the right to freedom of opinion and on health.
They called on Azerbaijan to respect due process, guarantee Mammadli's fundamental rights and provide him with appropriate medical care.
They also urged Baku to end all forms of intimidation against rights activists.
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to report their findings. They do not speak for the United Nations itself.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Modi likely to be in US next month for UNGA meet, bilateral talks with Trump
Preparations are underway to schedule a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in the last week of September, The Indian Express has learnt. The ostensible reason is to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but a key objective will be to meet US President Donald Trump, iron out the issues on trade and arrive at a common ground on tariffs. This will also give an opportunity for the two leaders to announce a trade deal. However, for this to fructify, a lot of moving parts have to fall in place. There has to be movement on two fronts — the Russia-Ukraine war and the Indo-US trade deal. Negotiations are underway on both fronts, and the stakes for Delhi are high since it has been slapped with 50 per cent tariffs by the US — 25 per cent for its high tariffs and 25 per cent penalty for buying Russian oil. On the Russia-Ukraine war front, Delhi is closely following the meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 to discuss a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Modi has already spoken to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the last few days. A resolution to the conflict is in India's interest, sources said, and this has been conveyed to both leaders. On the trade deal front, Indian and American negotiators had been close to sealing a deal, but the US President was not happy about the deal that was agreed between the interlocutors. So, the negotiators have to discuss the terms of the deal further, and they have to offer new terms, as red lines have been drawn. But the two sides are focused on the new goal for bilateral trade — 'Mission 500' — aiming to more than double total bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. This was decided during Modi's visit to the White House where he met Trump in February this year. They had also agreed that to realise this ambition, they would require new, fair-trade terms, and they had announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall this year. And to conclude a wide-ranging BTA, the US and India had agreed to take an integrated approach to strengthen and deepen bilateral trade across the goods and services sector, and work towards increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepening supply chain integration. But that has run into rough weather. And the officials and negotiators have to unlock the issues and negotiate a deal by September last week – the Prime Minister's visit to the US is expected to 'dot the i's and cross the t's', sources said. Now, to schedule the visit, as a first step, the Indian side has reached out to the UN headquarters for a speaking slot for the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. As of now, that has been scheduled for September 26 morning. Trump is slated to speak on September 23. At the UNGA, permanent missions to the UN have to indicate the level of representation from each country, and the speaking slot of 15-minutes is granted accordingly. If the PM's visit takes place, it will give an opportunity to speak at the UNGA and hold bilateral meetings with Trump and other world leaders. Zelenskyy also indicated Monday, after his phone call with Modi, that they 'agreed to plan a personal meeting in September during the UN General Assembly'. Sources said plans are underway since the entire process of accreditation and travel arrangements to the UN needs to be completed in August. Ties between India and the US have been impacted in recent months after Trump claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan — a claim denied by Delhi. He followed it with diatribes against India on tariffs, and imposed 50 per cent tariffs. Sources said that since the two countries are strategic partners, they have to sort out the issues, and the PM's visit will be to smoothen the issues, so that a visit by the US President to India can take place in October for the summit of Quad leaders.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
NYC Mayoral race: From Zohran Mamdani to Eric Adams - What the latest poll reveals?
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani holds a strong lead in the race, according to a recent Siena poll of registered voters. Mamdani is leading the poll at 44 per cent, while former Governor Andrew Cuomo running as an independent, trails at 25 per cent. Republican Curtis Sliwa stands at 12 per cent and current Mayor Eric Adams is at 7 per cent. Siena pollster Steven Greenberg in a press release on Tuesday said that 53 per cent of City Democrats support Mamdani compared to 32 per cent for Cuomo, with the other candidates receiving single-digit support. Among City Republicans, over two-thirds back Sliwa. Independent voters in the city are divided, with 30 per cent supporting Mamdani and 20 per cent supporting Adams. "City voters under 35 are overwhelmingly supporting Mamdani, as are a plurality of voters 35-54, however, voters 55 and older back Cuomo over Mamdani, 38-32 per cent," Greenberg added. Mamdani, appearing in the Siena poll for the first time, has a 46 per cent favorability rating among New York City voters but a lower 28 per cent favorability statewide, as reported by Fox News. Cuomo, who resigned as governor and lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani is facing serious favorability issues. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stylish New Mobility Scooters Available for Seniors (Prices May Surprise You) Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Search Now Undo "Cuomo has an underwater favorability rating with City voters, 37-54 per cent, and an even worse 29-61 per cent favorability rating with statewide voters, the worst ever favorability rating for Cuomo in a Siena poll. In fact, among Democrats statewide, Cuomo's favorability rating is 36-56 per cent, down from 51-39 per cent in March," he said. Mayor Eric Adams, now running as an independent, also struggles with favorability. Last year, the department of justice charged him with bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance crimes, but the case was dropped later. Adams is showing himself as a strong supporter of law enforcement, especially after the office shooting at 345 Park Avenue last month. However, his ratings remained underwater in the city (30 per cent favorable, 58 per cent unfavorable) and statewide (22 per cent favorable, 51 per cent unfavorable). Republican Curtis Sliwa has a 26 per cent favorable rating statewide and 30 per cent favorable in the city. The recent poll is drawing a lot of attention because Mamdani's win was a surprise against Cuomo. As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani supports several far-left ideas. He is currently touring the city campaigning against President Donald Trump . "There is no borough that will be free from Trump's cruelty," Mamdani said. "We will feel the pain of this legislation, whether we are in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island, and we will shine a light this week and every week on the costs of this vision that is coming out of Washington, DC" Cuomo, Adams and Sliwa have criticized Mamdani on issues such as policing and rent control. Cuomo even proposed "Zohran's Law" after it was revealed that Mamdani lives in a rent-stabilized apartment. The mayoral election will take place on November 4 this year.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Panel ex-member: SEP lacks fundamentals of edu policy
Chennai: In a strong criticism of TN's State Education Policy (SEP) , L Jawahar Nesan, a former member of the high-level committee formed to frame the SEP, said the policy lacked fundamental elements of an education policy and urged the chief minister M K Stalin to withdraw the policy. Stalin on Friday released the 67-page SEP document for school education. Jawahar on Tuesday told reporters, "The policy lacked any concrete idea or proposal for the educational upliftment of all children in the 21st century and it aligns in letter and spirit with the National Education Policy (NEP)." "Any public policy should be released first as a draft policy for public consultation. While some stakeholders were engaged in a limited manner through public hearings to inform the policy's context, the draft policy was not subjected to comprehensive public consultation before being unveiled. This approach contravenes the fundamental principles of inclusive and participatory public policy making," he said. He said Union govt also released the draft NEP 2020 before releasing the final version. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Gold Rates Today in Chennai | Silver Rates Today in Chennai "The policy recommends current schemes such as the school observation app known as Palli Paarvai, the Educational Management and Information System (EMIS), proposed blockwise model schools, and STEAM learning as solutions to the lofty claim of producing future-ready students and inculcating 21st-century skills including critical thinking," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15+ Food That Clean Arteries (Most People Ignore) Undo "The means to achieve 21st-century skills are limited to app-based schemes. Teacher capacity building is confined to schemes such as the Payirchi Paarvai digital platform. The SEP appears to approach education in a lackadaisical manner, proposing populist slogans as solutions," said Jawahar. He said GO number 98, which gave terms and reference for the high-level committee, called for a distinct SEP for TN, keeping with the historical legacy, present situation, and future aspirations of the state. "The unveiled document does not reflect even an iota of understanding of what TN's distinct features, problems, conditions, and challenges are, nor how its recommendations can serve as genuine solutions to address these issues," he said. In a rebuttal, school education department said SEP preserves TN's educational autonomy while preparing learners for global challenges. "It provides a solid foundation to be built upon with regularly updated, measurable action plans. It also strengthens social justice, retains and upgrades welfare measures, and introduces future-ready curricula, ensuring flexibility," a release said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
