Amnesty International: Azerbaijan Must Investigate Recent Prison ‘Suicide’

Konstantin Adamov News, Re-Post

Amnesty International is calling on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure a prompt, independent and effective investigation into the deaths of Mahir Mustafayev and Mehman Galandarov.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on May 4 that the Azerbaijani government had violated the right to life of Mahir Mustafayev without protecting his life and without conducting an effective investigation into the circumstances of his death.

Mustafayev died of severe burns as a result of a mysterious fire in his cell in December 2006.

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Marat Ueldanov convicted in Baku fears he is hindered from appealing court judgment

Konstantin News, Re-Post

Russian national of Armenian descent Marat Ueldanov, who was convicted in Azerbaijan, fears that he is hindered from appealing the court judgment.

His sister, Mariana Mirzoyan, told Armenian News – NEWS.am that Marat called her on Wednesday and informed that he was moved to a terrible place at 12:00 pm on Friday.

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The Two Faces of Azerbaijan’s Mr. Aliyev

Konstantin News, Re-Post

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan does a masterful political Jekyll and Hyde. A cable from the American ambassador to Baku released on WikiLeaks described him as a Michael Corleone-Sonny Corleone figure — referring, respectively, to the coolly calculating and the impetuously violent brothers of the “Godfather” mafia family. Mr. Aliyev is “pro-Western” in many of the ways the West admires: He is suave, well dressed and well spoken in English; he is ready to send his country’s ample supplies of oil and gas to Europe and to Israel; his Islam is moderate and modern; and he hosts lavish international events like the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and the European Games to be held next June.

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