ASSA-Irada,
19, May 2008

A rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Monitoring Committee visiting Azerbaijan has called on the opposition to take part in the October presidential election.

Andres Herkel said the opposition should refrain from boycotting the poll and join struggle for presidency.

He told a press conference Monday that equal conditions should be provided for pre-election campaigning. "All candidates should gain equal opportunities to campaign on Public TV free of charge."

The rapporteurs also expressed hope for a speedy adoption of the bill on changes and addenda to Azerbaijan's Election Code.

"We hope these amendments will be in line with the proposals of the Council of Europe Venice Commission," said the other co-rapporteur, Evguenia Jivkova.

Herkel said the Council of Europe and other international groups were concerned with the imprisonment of three journalists in the country on different charges.

"Jailing journalists is not normal. We have thoroughly studied those journalists' cases. The charges brought against them were a concoction," he said with regard to Azadlig newspaper editor Ganimat Zahid, an employee of the publication Mirza Sakit and the editor of Realny Azerbaijan and Gundalik Azerbaijan newspapers, Eynulla Fatullayev.

Herkel said the rapporteurs had stressed the importance of releasing the journalists in a meeting with Azerbaijani officials, saying the imprisonment of media representatives was damaging the country's international image.

Baku says international organizations' feedback on the situation with media freedom is biased. Government officials on various levels have repeatedly stated that no journalists have been arrested in the country over their work.