Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman), Sabina Aliyeva, has sent an open letter to the Secretary General of the international non-governmental organisation Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, in response to the biased content of the 2024 Human Rights Report.
The letter expresses strong disagreement with the publication of one-sided and distorted information about Azerbaijan on the organisation's official website, which, according to the Ombudsman, once again demonstrates Amnesty International's deviation from the principles of objectivity and fairness in assessing the human rights situation, as per Caliber.Az.
Specifically, Aliyeva noted that, contrary to the claims in the report, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), held in Baku last year, was distinguished by broad representation, an emphasis on inclusivity, and active participation from civil society.
The letter also highlights that if the organisation adhered to the principle of fairness, the report would have mentioned the forcible expulsion of more than 250,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia, which began in 1987, and the need for guarantees of their safe and dignified return, in line with the international commitments undertaken by Armenia.
The Ombudsman pointed out the complete omission of serious issues in the report, such as mine terrorism, which presents a constant threat to life and human rights in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, as well as the lack of information about the fate of nearly 4,000 Azerbaijanis who went missing during the First Karabakh War.
According to Aliyeva, such silence clearly indicates double standards and political bias in the organisation.
Furthermore, Aliyeva expressed regret that, despite the active work of the Ombudsman's office as a National Preventive Mechanism — regular monitoring of detention conditions, detainees' health, constant openness to dialogue, and transparency in investigations — the report contains no reference to these facts.
In conclusion, the Ombudsman called on international organisations, including Amnesty International, to adhere to universally recognised norms of international law and rely solely on objective, verified information, avoiding bias and violations of impartiality principles.
By Khagan Isayev
Source: caliber.az
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