The Human Rights House Foundation
has issued a statement on the issue.
"In a number of countries, the justice system has been shaken, including threats or attacks on human rights defenders."
The statement came from the Human Rights House Foundation.
According to Turan, at the recent 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Fund for Human Rights touched upon the deteriorating situation for lawyers in Azerbaijan and Belarus.
"Before the pandemic began, Azerbaijani lawyer Fuad Agayev claimed that a number of methods of pressure are being used against lawyers in Azerbaijan. There is political bias in the process of admitting lawyers to the board. At the same time, human rights defenders are excluded from the proceedings or deprived of their rights", the statement said.
The statement said that Azerbaijan used the pandemic to increase pressure on lawyers and human rights defenders, and used quarantine as an excuse for non-compliance with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. In addition, human rights lawyers continue to be persecuted and deprived of the right to practice law. Javad Javadov, a lawyer and human rights activist, was reprimanded by the Azerbaijan Bar Association for expressing legal concerns about the alleged harsh treatment of a client in 2020.
In 2021, Shahla Humbatova, one of the few independent lawyers left in the country, was deprived of her lawyer status; her status was later restored as a result of international pressure.
"So far, dozens of lawyers in Azerbaijan, including human rights lawyers Alaif Hasanov and Khalid Bagirov, have been illegally deprived of their lawyer status. In addition, well-known lawyers Intigam Aliyev and Annagi Hajibeyli, as well as several young lawyers – human rights activists – are unjustifiably prevented from joining the bar, "the statement said.
"The Council and the Special Rapporteur should be aware that such deprivation of the status of a lawyer in Azerbaijan and Belarus is unacceptable, a violation of the international human rights obligations of both countries and, more importantly, took place during the crisis," the statement said.
