The Council of Europe Committee against Torture (CAT) has published a declaration reporting the refusal of the Azerbaijani authorities to cooperate.

“The Committee has made sincere efforts to establish a constructive dialogue with Azerbaijan to resolve the issues underlying the existence of the European Convention against Torture. The CPT has clearly stated in its reports that it continues to receive complaints of ill-treatment and torture by police officers. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan has not taken any steps to implement the long-standing recommendations of the committee to stop this practice,” the press service of the Council of Europe reported.

According to the CAT report, the alleged forms of ill-treatment and torture primarily included slapping, punching, kicking, and hitting with batons or wooden sticks.

Previously, Azerbaijan refused to invite a PACE delegation to observe the 2024 presidential elections. This led to the suspension of the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation for 1 year.