January 18, 2002 - 23:11 AMT
AZERI POLITICAL PRISONERS PROBLEM MAY ESCAPE DISCUSSION AT PACE SESSION IF BAKU AUTHORITIES RELEASE THEM BEFORE JANUARY 21
The problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan is to be discussed at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe January 24. The question may be left out of the session agenda if before January 21 Azeri authorities release 11 persons, recognized as political prisoners by independent experts of PACE secretary-general. Let us remind that former Prime Minister Suret Huseynov, former Minister of Internal Affairs Iskender Hamidov, former leader of unrecognized Talish-Mugan Rebublic Alikram Gummatov are among the prisoners whom the Council of Europe demands to release immediately.