Baku, January 25, AZERTAJ
In order to ensure the access of citizens to the judiciary, to regularly inform the public about the activities of the judiciary, the use of opportunities of both civil society and the media, as well as the official websites and social networks of the Ministry of Justice continues. The holding of press conferences on various areas of justice during the special quarantine regime in the implementation of the President's instructions also plays an important role in the legal education of the population.
AZERTAJ reports that, on January 25, the Ministry of Justice held a press conference in video format dedicated to the results of 2020.
At the event, which was attended by the heads of structural units of the Ministry and numerous media representatives, there were spoken on the works done in the field of justice - registration, notary, probation, enforcement of court decisions and penalties, international law cooperation, administrative control over the activities of municipalities and on the activities of the justice authorities in the Patriotic War and the post-conflict period.
Aynur Sabitova, chief of the Human Rights and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Justice, stated that last year was marked as the Year of Victory in the Patriotic War for the liberation of Karabakh under the leadership of the President Mr. Ilham Aliyev. The success of our country in the military-political sphere, the Great Victory of our people are the brightest and most glorious pages of our modern history.
Last year, as in all areas, justice was conducted online during the global pandemic COVID-19 and the public was regularly informed about the measures taken, for this purpose, 21 public discussions and briefings were held in video format.
Subhi Kazimov, Deputy Chief of the Organization and Supervision General Department, Acting Chief of the Karabakh Regional Department of Justice, said that Armenia had suffered a heavy defeat in the Patriotic War, which began on
September 27 last year with a counter-offensive operation and resulted in the surrender of the enemy.
A historical chronicle was written as a result of the counter-attack launched by the Azerbaijani Army against the provocations of Armenia and the determination of the head of state. It is important to punish Armenians who commit bloody crimes. The Ministry of Justice has addressed appeals to the justice ministers of about 70 countries and numerous influential international organizations to inform the world community about the war crimes committed by the Armenian armed forces against Azerbaijan. The appeals emphasize that about one million people were expelled from their ancestral lands, including inhumane acts committed by Armenian terrorists, especially Armenia's gross violation of the norms and principles of international law, including the Geneva Conventions. Also, an electronic platform "Karabakh Azerbaijan" operating in three languages has been created on the website of the Ministry of Justice to promote the truth of Azerbaijan.
Subhi Kazimov also touched upon the activities of the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice in charge of special management in the liberated territories said that, the Karabakh Regional Department of Justice has been established and is already operating, and measures have been identified to clarify the damage caused to the judicial and justice authorities as a result of the occupation and to restore their activities.
Adil Abilov, chief of the International Cooperation Department, spoke about the effective cooperation of the Ministry of Justice with other countries and international organizations, the works carried out and innovations in the field of legal assistance in civil and criminal cases, extradition and delivery of prisoners. He said that people abroad can get information on civil issues in Azerbaijan - births, pensions, labor, property, alimony, etc. within the international cooperation of the ministry.
At the same time, information is exchanged on the interrogation of witnesses, obtaining relevant documents and other issues in Azerbaijan on criminal cases committed abroad. Restrictions on entry and exit to countries in connection with the pandemic, the difficulty of communication create problems in the delivery of the originals of official documents in the field of extradition. In this regard, the ministry held consultations with foreign colleagues and agreed to accept extradition requests electronically and review them as soon as possible.
When considering extradition matter, special attention is paid to the protection of human rights, conditions of detention in prisons and medical care of the interrogated persons, and in some cases the situation in this area is familiarized on the spot. In the past, a number of leading European countries have appreciated the situation in our country in this area and made positive decisions on extradition.
It was also stated that extradition and delivery of prisoners are different concepts. Extradition means that if a person commits a crime and flees to another country, the country of destination is determined and he is arrested there and handed over to Azerbaijan. At the time of delivery of prisoners, a convict serving a sentence in another country shall apply and state that he wishes to serve the remainder of his sentence in his own country, and he shall be extradited to the State of his citizenship. In 2020, five prisoners were brought to Azerbaijan, and 25 foreign prisoners were handed over to their countries.
Speaking at the event, Chief of the Inspectorate for the Execution of Punishments Malik Alakbarov spoke about the works done in the field of execution of sentences. He said that measures were taken to protect the rights of all convicts. The monitoring group on the spread of COVID-19 infection has been constantly working, institutions are visited, issues related to the conditions of detention, medical and food security of prisoners have been resolved.
Important steps have been taken to humanize the penal policy. As part of the implementation of the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of May 1, 2020, 334 people were completely released from prison for penitentiary and probation services, and 591 people had their sentences reduced.
Prisoners whose close relatives were killed in the Patriotic War are given special care in the institutions. There are more than 30 convicts, some of whom have been released on parole, some have been released from prison, and one has been allowed to attend the funeral of his son.
At the same time, the commission set up in the Penitentiary Service continued its work intensively despite the pandemic, and last year 2072 prisoners were released on parole. A medical-expert commission released 10 people due to a serious illness.
Rahman Mammadov, chief of the Center for Works with Municipalities, said that 3503 appeals related to the activities of municipalities were considered last year. As a result of consideration of the appeals, 328 municipal acts were submitted
to the municipalities to be changed or annulled, which contradicted the requirements of the legislation.
It was noted that 15 out of 3267 proposals submitted by the ministry last year were not provided by the municipalities, so 15 lawsuits were filed in the courts in accordance with the law. Two of them were provided by the court, and 13 are under execution of the court. As a result of the administrative control measures, a total of 8217 hectares, 17 percent more than in the previous year, including 3,417 hectares of illegally allocated public pastures, were returned to municipal ownership.
Mr. Ilgar Mammadov, chief of the of Registration and Notary General Department, stressed that political pluralism is one of the main indicators of a strong country and democracy. Political parties have a special role in shaping the environment in this area. So far, 62 political parties have been registered in Azerbaijan. Over the past year, seven political parties have been registered. Most political parties are active. As a result of the policy announced and pursued by the President, the parties have become partners in political dialogue. A multi-party parliament has been formed in Azerbaijan, which is an important step in the development of democracy. We have witnessed most parties unite around the Supreme Commander-in-Chief during the Patriotic War. The joint statement of the political parties is also the embodiment of the political unity in Azerbaijan. However, some political parties do not operate at all. Apart from their activities in the political arena, they do not comply with the requirements of the legislation.
