Vice-President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton is concerned about the situation in Azerbaijan regarding the respect for human rights.

“The recent sentencing of two youth activists, Mr. Jabbar Savalan and Mr Bakhtiyar Hajiyev,on 4 May and 18 May respectively, is of concern to us. In both cases the circumstances give reason to assume that the judicial proceedings were overshadowed by political motivations,” she said in a statement issued on Friday.

Ashton called on Azerbaijan to fully respect fundamental freedoms and international standards to which Azerbaijan has committed itself and provide for a fair and swift revision of the verdicts