Chief of the Staff participated in the ENNHRIs General Assembly Meeting in Brussels

The Chief of the Staff of the Ombudsman Office of Azerbaijan, Aydin Safikhanli participated in the European Network of the National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRIs) General Assembly Meeting held in Brussels.  

During the two-day meeting, the Member NHRIs held discussions on good practices in the field of protection of human rights and freedoms, challenges and activities implemented in emergencies, increasing the independence of such institutions, and other related issues. The event continued its work in various sessions according to the agenda, which covered the issues related to the NHRIs in armed conflicts, their role in the protection of the rights of migrants and refugees, the NHR?s’ good practices in the relevant fields, security, and human rights.

During the sessions, the Chief of the Office spoke about the activities of the Ombudsman in the noted areas. Briefing the problem of refugees and IDPs, A. Safikhanli emphasized that, unlike other countries, Azerbaijan had faced this problem 30 years ago and only as a result of its own efforts solved this problem, restored the violated rights and freedoms of displaced persons. Also, it was said that the selective approach of international organizations and some European countries to the problem of refugees and internally displaced people in the world is unacceptable.  

It was emphasized that the main problem for this category of persons belonging to the post-war period is the complete destruction of the infrastructure in the formerly occupied territories and the burying of a large number of mines whose locations are not clearly marked. Also, it was noted all these created an obstacle to the extensive restoration and construction works carried out in our historical lands freed from occupation and the return of our former IDPs to their ancestral homelands, along with causing a great blow to sustainable peace and security in the region.

In addition, the Chief of the Office, speaking about the protection of the rights of Ukrainian refugees who took refuge in other countries, gave information about the measures taken by the Azerbaijani Ombudsman. He talked about the booklets prepared by the Office of the Ombudsman in 4 languages (Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Ukrainian) on the right of foreigners and stateless persons to access information, presented copies of those booklets to the participants of the meeting, and informed about the support provided by the Ombudsman to Ukrainian refugee children.

The activity carried out by the Azerbaijan Ombudsman in this field was evaluated as a positive experience, and other MIHTs were recommended to do so.

During the discussions, A. Safikhanli said that the Ombudsman has prepared and submitted proposals to the Parliament to make changes to the Constitutional Law "On the Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan" in order to more reliably ensure the rights and freedoms of the people and citizens and to expand the powers of the institution. He added that the proposals have already passed the first reading.