ADA-UK Statement on Jabbar Savalan's release
United Kingdom, London, 29 December 2011
ADA-UK welcomes the release of Jabbar Savalan on 26 December 2011 through a presidential pardon signed by President Ilham Aliyev. However, ADA-UK remains concerned about the continued imprisonment of 16 prisoners of conscience.
Jabbar Savalan is a 20 year old political activist and university student from Azerbaijan who was arrested on 5 February 2011 as he was returning home from an opposition Popular Front party meeting. Jabbar claims that during his arrest, drugs were planted on him by police officers, who then claimed to have found 0.74 grams of marijuana in his pockets. Jabbar’s blood results showed no signs of drug use and his family and friends were adamant that Jabbar had no history of drug use.
His arrest occurred days after he posted on Facebook calling for peaceful protests against the current government, yet more arrests were made shortly after his, as protests in Azerbaijan intensified in the spring of 2011.
ADA-UK firmly believes that an independent legal system and the decriminalisation of freedom of expression and assembly can put an end to the endemic problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, and the necessity of presidential pardons to address institutionalised injustices of the judiciary and the police.
ADA-UK calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to unconditionally release all other prisoners of conscience who remain in jail and to quash the fabricated charges for which he was sentenced. We also call on all international organisations fighting for human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan to continue their efforts for the release of all remaining prisoners of conscience.
Jabbar Savalan’s release is a testament to the effectiveness of the international campaign for his freedom, led by Amnesty International and an encouraging achievement for all human rights defenders. ADA-UK would like to express its gratitude to all who campaigned for the release of Jabbar Savalan, and we would urge them to continue campaigning for justice and freedom in Azerbaijan.
Azerabaijan Democratic Association - UK