Azerbaijanchr("39")s Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsperson) Sabina Aliyeva has sent an open letter to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Tirana Hassan, Olaylar informs referring to the Ombudspersonchr("39")s press service.
The letter states that the Azerbaijan section in the organizationchr("39")s 2024 world report demonstrates a biased and one-sided approach toward Baku.
The letter noted that HRW, instead of referring to publicly available annual and parallel reports from the Ombudsperson detailing activities to protect human rights and freedoms, including torture prevention, relied on questionable and biased sources. It also indicates that members of the Ombudspersonchr("39")s National Preventive Group met with several individuals mentioned in the organizationchr("39")s report, and no facts of torture or ill-treatment were recorded.
The letter points out that despite important decisions made to address climate change consequences during Azerbaijanchr("39")s hosting of COP29, which became a platform for effective discussions on preventing climate change, HRW didnchr("39")t acknowledge these achievements in addressing current issues in its report.
According to the document, the report failed to consider that Azerbaijan suffered years of occupation by Armenia, resulting in violations of fundamental rights and freedoms of over a million Azerbaijanis.
It didnchr("39")t address, either, the post-occupation work to ensure safe and dignified return of former displaced persons, the mine problem posing serious threats to life and health, and the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, which indicates double standards toward Azerbaijan.
The Ombudsperson called on Human Rights Watch to demonstrate impartiality, fair approach, and rely on verified facts when preparing their reports.
