A group of imprisoned activists and journalists from Baku's Penal Colony No. 2 has appealed to the President of the European Commission. They demand the implementation of European Parliament resolutions calling for the release of Azerbaijani political prisoners.

In an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, journalist Hafiz Babali, economist Fazil Gasimov, and activists Afiyaddin Mammadov, Samir Ashurov, and Mehman Aliyev, who founded the Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners in Penal Colony No. 2, expressed concern about human rights in Azerbaijan.

The authors of the letter point out that academics, journalists, and activists are being persecuted for political reasons. They accused the authorities of unlawfully interfering in judicial proceedings, suppressing freedoms, persecuting them for their professional activities, ignoring academic rights, and intolerant of criticism. These repressions, they argue, have weakened civil society, destroyed democratic institutions, and led to the closure of parties and media outlets.

It is emphasized that, despite cooperation with the European Commission in the energy sector, Azerbaijan violates the European Convention on Human Rights and its international obligations. Political prisoners emphasize the importance of European values ​​– human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. They called on the European Commission not to stand aside in the arrests of those who uphold these values. According to international human rights activists, there are approximately 400 political prisoners in Azerbaijan.