European Parliament urges Baku to observe human rights conventions

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Parliament adopted resolution on the killing of Azerbaijani journalist Rafiq Tagi, calling for a thorough investigation into the crime.

It called on the Azerbaijani authorities “to carry out a thorough, prompt and effective investigation into the death of Rafiq Tagi which must include the context of his professional activities as a journalist and writer.”

“There are still political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan; whereas harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention and criminal prosecution of individuals and organizations legitimately exercising the right to freedom of expression are practices reported in the country that should be immediately stopped,” it said.

The EP urged the Azerbaijani authorities to show its genuine commitment to human rights and comply with its obligations under international law, in particular the protection of the right to life and to freedom of expression.

Journalist Rafiq Tagi died in Baku on November 23, 2011 from the injuries he sustained during a brutal knife attack four days earlier. Tagi served a prison sentence following his conviction in May 2007 on charges of inciting religious hatred, based on an article he had written in the newspaper Sanat, in which he argued that Islamic values were preventing Azerbaijan's integration into European structures and stunting its democratic progress.