BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 25. The Azerbaijani Parliament will hold dedicated hearings on a legal framework to protect Azerbaijani citizens' rights violated as a result of the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands, war crimes committed by Armenia during the second Karabakh War, and compensation for damage caused to Azerbaijan, based on relevant claims before international bodies, Trend reports.
This initiative is included in the 2023 Work Plan of the Human Rights Committee.
During the spring session, the Committee's Work Plan also provided for making presentations on a report "Hate speech and hate crimes against Azerbaijanis", jointly prepared by the Ombudsman's Office and the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament.
In the meantime, the plan includes holding discussions and hearings over the current and new strategy for media development (including social media platforms) in the country with the involvement of the Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the Media Development Agency. Discussion of defamation issues, and the development of a bill on the protection of citizens' rights in the digital space, are also envisaged by the mentioned plan.
Furthermore, the Parliament is supposed to hold spring public hearings jointly with civil society and experts on the "Pardon Institution-Amnesty Act as a human rights institution: relevant implementation issues", as well as a conference "100 years of deportation of Western Azerbaijanis – in the context of Western Azerbaijanis' rights following the victory in the second Karabakh War".