Azerbaijani human rights defender Anar Mammadli got the second Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.

PACE President Anne Brasseur handed over the prize to his father at a special ceremony at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg, on the opening day of the autumn plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Presenting the trophy, PACE President Anne Brasseur, chair of the selection panel, said: “Mr Mammadli’s commitment lies in the area of promoting democratic institutions and civil and political rights. Annar Mammadli is our long-standing partner who shared with our Assembly, but also with other bodies of the Council of Europe, including its Commissioner for human rights, his valuable expertise on the situation in his country.”

Anar Mammadli was arrested in December 2013 on charges of “abuse of power” and other matters, and sentenced to five and a half years in prison in May 2014.