Chairman of the Coordination Center of Families of Political Prisoners: “We didn’t expect any different outcome.”
On May 26, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning 220 convicts.
Out of those pardoned, 175 were exempted from serving the rest of their sentences.
For 25 convicted persons, the portion of their sentence yet to be served has been reduced by half.
A French citizen is also included among those covered by the pardon decree. Théo Clerc Hugo, born in 1986, received a three-year prison sentence from the Narimanov District Court in September 2024 for illegally entering the Baku metro and spray-painting graffiti on trains. De-Sant Quentin Ismael, a New Zealand citizen, and Han Paul, an Australian, who were detained with Hugo, were fined 6,800 manats. The convict himself stated that his sentence was influenced by the tensions between Azerbaijan and France. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on his arrest, describing it as an “unfounded and discriminatory” action.
A total of 16 foreign nationals are included among those pardoned, with five from Iran, four from Russia, two each from Georgia and Pakistan, and one each from France, Turkey, and Afghanistan.
Zafer Ahmadov, chairman of the Coordination Center of Families of Political Prisoners, told Meydan TV that not a single individual recognized as a political prisoner is among those pardoned.
“Other than the French citizen, no political prisoners were included. What was the purpose of this pardon decree? The reason remains unclear. Perhaps it was signed for public display. This shows that the Azerbaijani government is not only unready for legal and political reforms but also lacks the will or intention to pursue them. We didn’t expect any different outcome,” Zafer Ahmadov said.
The claim that the pardon list contains no political prisoners was labeled “unfounded” by Arzukhan Alizada, deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Human Rights Committee.
“It is doubtful whether those labeled as ‘political prisoners’ by certain radical groups are actually imprisoned because of their political actions. I believe the allegations that none of their members are included in the pardon list are unfounded. People should not be treated differently. Rather than celebrating the release of prisoners through a pardon, taking an opposing stance is not a commendable attitude for any politician.”, he said in a statement to Pravda.az.
Only 8 of 182 political prisoners were pardoned in 2023. They were Ali Aliyev, leader of the Citizens and Development Party; Elchin Mammad, a human rights defender from Sumgayit; four convicted in the “Tartar case” — Nusrat Gurbanov, Vagif Aliyev, Suleyman Hajiyev, and Seymur Hasanov; and two accused in the “Ganja case” — Samir Ibrahimov and Habib Gurbanov.
In 2024, 154 prisoners received pardons, but none were political prisoners.
Currently, Azerbaijan is reported to hold over 360 political prisoners.
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