Azerbaijan, Baku, 18 June / Trend corr I. Alizade/ The Official Baku think opposition's statements, the right to freely assemble is restricted in the country, are not equitable. "Opposition's criticism of the Law on Freedom of Assembly should not be taken seriously," Fuad Alaskarov, head of the Department on Law-enforcement Bodies at the Azerbaijani Presidential Executive Administration, said to journalists on 18 June.
On 30 May, Azerbaijani Parliament passed a Bill on changes and supplements into the Law on Freedom of Assembly. The Bill was developed at the Presidential Administration along with the coordination of Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijani opposition thinks that the new law has restricted the right to free assembly even more in the country.
"All international organizations positively assessed Azerbaijan's Law on Freedom of Assembly. Final opinion on the Law was presented at the recent meeting of the Venice Commission several days ago. Commission supports the changes and thinks that the Bill corresponds with the European standards," Alaskarov said.
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