Over 400 persons pardoned in Azerbaijan

On March 16, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev signed a decree to pardon 431 convicts, including more than a dozen political prisoners.

The presidential decree is posted on the website of the President of Azerbaijan, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Among those pardoned there are a number of persons recognized by rights defenders as political prisoners.

In particular, Ilkin Rustamzade, Elgiz Gakhramanov, Bairam Mamedov and Giyas Ibragimov, activists of the "Nida" movement, recognized as prisoners of conscience by the Amnesty International, have been pardoned.

Also released are Ali Insanov, 73, a former Minister of Public Health; Tofig Gasanov, a poet-satirist; Vasif Ismailov, convicted for the 2013 events in Ismayilli; Rufat Safarov, a former investigator of the Zardab Prosecutor's Office; and Fikret Faramazoglu, a journalist.

The list of those pardoned also includes Fuad Gakhramanly and Gezyal Bairamly, Deputy Chairmen of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA); Murad Adilov, an activist of this party; Alikram Khurshudov, a member of the "Musavat" Party; and Elnur Seyidov, a son-in-law of Ali Kerimli, the PFPA leader.

The pardoning has also covered Zulfugar Mikailov (Mikailzade), a Shiite theologian; Elchin Gasymov, a deputy chairman of the "Muslim Unity" movement; and Elman Agaev, an activist of this movement.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 16, 2019 at 05:36 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.