Azerbaijan, Baku, April 14 / Trend /
Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Department head said the European Union's statement is non-objective.
"With respect to the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union at the Permanent Council of the OSCE, I should like to note that the statement is non-objective and biased, because this organization obtains the information about the processes in our country only from the oppositional sources. It appears from the statement that the individuals detained for the violation of public order in Baku are kind of being persecuted for the exercise of their right to freedom of assembly. However, I should like to reiterate that the mentioned actions did not have peaceful character at all, Fuad Alasgarov, Head of the Department on Coordination of law-enforcement agencies, Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, told press today.
The EU made a statement regarding fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council held on April 7, 2011.
As the Foreign Ministry told Trend on Tuesday, head of the EU representation in Azerbaijan Roland Kobia was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on April 11 and Azerbaijani government's dissatisfaction and regret was expressed to the opposite side.
"We expect the EU to be guided by the principles of objectivity and balance while issuing any statement. In this regard, I should particularly like to draw attention to the position of the European Court. In of the cases concerning the UK, the Commission stated that where public processions, despite large police deployments, had resulted in riots and disturbances, an order banning all public processions in one area might be justified for limited period of time. In the decision in another case concerning Switzerland the Strasbourg organs stated that the subjection of public meetings to an authorization procedure does not normally encroach upon the essence of the right. Such a procedure is in keeping with the requirements of Article 11, if only in order that the authorities may be in position to ensure the peaceful nature of a meeting, and accordingly does not as such constitute interference with the exercise of the right," Alasgarov said.
He said that in accordance with the Law on "Freedom of assembly", persons organizing the assembly have to notify in advance the relevant body of executive power in written for coordinating its time and venue in order to allow the relevant body of executive power to make necessary arrangements. In other words, this provision of the law is in line with both the provisions of the international treaties and practice of many countries. In these circumstances, it is at least surprising that the opposition parties, functioning in the Stated governed by Rule of law, refer to the notion of "authorized demonstration" and say that "there is no notion of "authorized" demonstration in Europe".