During recent meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), a decision was passed regarding Azerbaijan, whereby the latter’s authorities were urged to fully comply with judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

One of these judgments concerns activist Ilgar Mammadov, whom the Azerbaijan authorities refuse to release, despite the ECtHR decision that his detention was unlawful.

In addition, the CoE Committee of Ministers expressed its concern in connection with not-fulfillment of its verdict on the case into Azerbaijani journalists Rovshan Mahmudov and Yaşar Ağazadə. Even though they were sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, they were released under an Azerbaijani presidential amnesty. The ECtHR, however, believes that free speech was violated during their cases.