Azerbaijan condemns EU's accusations, calls out hypocrisy on human rights

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada issued a strong rebuttal following the European Union's criticism of Azerbaijan during the September 11 Committee of Ministers meeting of the Council of Europe (CoE). 

The EU's remarks, referencing a public statement by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) from July 3, were firmly rejected by Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports.

In his reply, Hajizada stated, “As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we issued a detailed statement on July 4, 2024, outlining our position on the mentioned public statement by the CPT. The biased statements by the European Union, once again referring to this public statement, are unacceptable, and we strongly reject this smear campaign.”

He went on to urge the EU to focus on addressing human rights issues within its own member states. “Instead of making such baseless accusations against Azerbaijan, we urge the EU side to concentrate on the human rights violations in the EU member states,” Hajizada emphasized. He pointed to ongoing issues within the EU, including the killing of "yellow vest" protesters in France, torture against indigenous populations in overseas territories due to French neo-colonial policies, and growing cases of bribery and corruption within EU institutions, along with Islamophobia and attacks on Muslims.

Hajizada also expressed concern about the EU's indifference to human rights violations in Armenia. He highlighted, “We note with regret that the EU’s indifference to violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms in Armenia that they patronage, including cases of the deaths in prison of persons arrested as a result of political persecution, as well as oppression of politicians and their family members, are clear cut examples of double standards.”

He went on by stating that such remarks by the EU were a clear example of interference in Azerbaijan’s domestic affairs, especially with the COP29 event approaching. "In light of the abovementioned, such prejudiced and arbitrary remarks by the EU are considered as intervention in Azerbaijan’s domestic affairs. Especially, this slander campaign conducted against Azerbaijan on the eve of the COP29 event is a clear example of bigotry against our country," the official stated.

“In Azerbaijan, all human rights are protected, and the country is making significant progress not only in the protection of individuals deprived of their liberty but also in bringing practices up to international standards. Therefore, the EU’s claims are completely baseless,” Hajizada asserted.