All detainees who are behind bars for having expressed their opinions should be released, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in an interview with Turan news agency, commenting on the issues of political prisoners in Azerbaijan and kidnapping of journalist Afgan Mukhtarly, contact.az reported.

“A society that cannot debate issues openly is not a society that can produce the new ideas that are needed for progress, be it economic or social and exercising fundamental freedoms is essential. Abduction and arbitrary detention are crimes and we expect full light to be shed on the responsibilities in that case. In the meanwhile, I think that any and all detainees who are behind bars for having expressed their opinions should be released. I will, of course, address these issues in all openness in all my meetings with the political authorities,” Hanh noted.