“The EU is yet to properly investigate and adequately comment on the facts surrounding the killing of “yellow vest” protesters in France, torture against indigenous population in overseas territories as a result of French neo-colonial policy, the growth in the cases of bribery and corruption within the EU institutions, Islamophobia, and attacks on Muslims,” said Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to a media inquiry on the 11 September remarks by the European Union about the public statement of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT).
“As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we issued a detailed statement on July 4, 2024, reflecting our position on the mentioned public statement by CPT. The biased statements by the European Union, again referring to this public statement is unacceptable, and we strongly reject this smear campaign. Instead of making such baseless accusations against Azerbaijan, we urge that the EU side concentrate on the human rights violations in the EU member states. The EU is yet to properly investigate and adequately comment on the facts surrounding the killing of “yellow vest” protesters in France, torture against indigenous population in overseas territories as a result of French neo-colonial policy, the growth in the cases of bribery and corruption within the EU institutions, Islamophobia, and attacks on Muslims.”
“Moreover, 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. 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.
In Azerbaijan, all the human rights are protected, and Azerbaijan is making great progress not only in the protection of persons deprived of their liberty, but also in bringing relevant practices up to commonly accepted international standards. Therefore, the mentioned claims by the European Union are completely baseless,” emphasized Aykhan Hajizade.