The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on Azerbaijan in which lawmakers emphasized that any future partnership agreement between Brussels and Baku must be conditional on tangible improvements in the field of human rights, including the release of political prisoners.
The lawmakers criticized the abuse of criminal and national security legislation in Azerbaijan for the purpose of silencing civil society organizations and independent media, as well as the pressure exerted on opposition figures living abroad.
The section on the number of political prisoners also briefly mentions the Armenians being held in Baku.
Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis has responded by accusing the European lawmakers of political pressure, double standards, lobbying influence, and attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
