Baku, August 10, AZERTAC
The Ministry of Justice, which always pays special attention to transparency and public relations, uses the opportunities of both of civil society representatives and the media, as well as the ministry's official websites and social media pages to ensure citizens' access to justice and regular awareness on justice activities. Such measures are especially important in the context of a special quarantine regime to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country. From this point of view, the live broadcast of the Ministry's official Facebook page on various activities of the judiciary during the special quarantine regime in the implementation of the President's instructions also plays an important role in legal enlightenment of the population.
In order to ensure public control and transparency in the justice system, the Public Committee under the Minister of Justice, consisting of representatives of non-governmental organizations and influential law-enforcement organizations, established on September 22, 2006 on the initiative of the Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov, functions effectively.
AZERTAC reports that, as one of the measures taken in this direction, an online public discussion on "Public participation and transparency in the Ministry of Justice" was organized on August 10.
Participating in the public discussion, the coordinator of the Public Committee under the Minister of Justice, head of the Azerbaijan National Branch of the International Human Rights Society Saadat Bananyarli and member of the Public Committee, chairman of the Public Union "Development of Society and Civil Relations" Ahmad Abbasbayli informed about the organization of work in this direction.
It was noted at the meeting that, President Ilham Aliyev, taking into account the exceptional importance of public control in ensuring successful development, always calls on the public to be more active in public administration. The activity of the Public Committee under the Minister of Justice for many years is important in terms of public participation. The Public Committee, formed in 2006, was a model for other such committees later established. After that, a law on public participation was adopted. Over time, the activities of the Public Committee expanded in the area created by the legislation at the initiative of the leadership of
the Ministry of Justice. Committee members can comment on all issues included in the justice system, as well as closely participate in the activities carried out. This committee is currently one of the well-known public committees in Azerbaijan, and other organizations also use this experience.
It was noted that President Ilham Aliyev's recent appeals to civil society representatives and the media to strengthen public control are the demand of the day. This has given impetus to the work of the Public Committee under the Minister of Justice and representatives of civil society. Public control is an important direction in the work of state structures, in the development of society.
It was noted thatç the Ministry of Justice has also successfully organized the issue of ensuring public participation and transparency. Law, public participation and other areas in the Ministry of Justice are exemplary. The application of public participation has recently become widespread. This is felt by citizens who apply to the structures of the Ministry of Justice and prisoners in penitentiaries. Committee members can communicate directly with citizens without applying to the structures of the ministry. They raise their problems before various structures of the ministry and achieve solutions. This is due to the goodwill of the ministry's leadership. The Ministry supports the work of the Public Committee, which has been successful in this area.
It was noted that, a special commission set up by the Ministry of Justice, consisting of senior officials of the ministry, including the Penitentiary Service, as well as members of the public, human rights activists and early release of prisoners, has recently become more active, especially during the pandemic. The commission has become important for prisoners and their families. Recently, the number of appeals to the commission has increased. This commission plays an important role in the early release of prisoners. The widespread use of this institution is aimed at faster correction of prisoners. This is reflected both in the management of penitentiaries and in the development of democratic traditions.
It was noted that, the work done today in the field of the Penitentiary Service is completely transparent to society. Members of the commission regularly visit penitentiaries, monitor the condition of prisoners, study the cases of prisoners and investigate their progress in the correctional process. Recently, the number of prisoners applying to the commission has increased. One of the successes of the commission is that it directly deals with the release of prisoners. The society has a more positive attitude to these processes. This is another clear indicator of the
transparency of the Ministry of Justice. There has also been an increase in the number of citizens who apply directly to members of the Public Committee.
In general, the leadership of the Ministry of Justice pays close attention to ensuring transparency in these matters. In this regard, the leadership of the Ministry of Justice, which constantly monitors the organization of work at the highest level, attaches great importance to awareness-raising.
On the online public discussion on "Public participation and transparency in the Ministry of Justice" the questions from social network users were answered.
