Before the end of the extraordinary parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, the election report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is ready.
It appears that the document obtained by Lent.az from private sources is fully ready for publication and approved.
The document states that the legal basis for the elections is not adequate for democratic elections, the freedom of assembly and expression permitted by the Constitution and other laws is restricted and does not comply with international standards and OSCE obligations.
The report states that the CEC examined most of the complaints received on the merits, but the arguments of the invited parties were never taken into account. The CEC made pre-prepared decisions and deprived the complainants of OSCE obligations and procedural guarantees stipulated in international practice.
The decisions of the CCA and the courts are not fully justified, and the CCA decisions do not indicate the existence of additional legal remedies. All appeals to the courts of appeal and the Supreme Court were rejected.
The report highlights that arrests and detentions of political actors, human rights defenders, civil society activists, academics and journalists continued during the pre-election period. While in some cases authorities have cited questionable funding sources and accounts of those detained, including religious fundamentalist and separatist sources, several international and local human rights organisations consider these arrests to be a crackdown on dissent and critical voices.
It should be noted that a few days ago, information was spread in the media that the OSCE report on the extraordinary parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan had already been prepared.
