BRUSSELS -- Azebaijani President Ilham Aliyev has reiterated his position that no political prisoners exist in his country.
He made the comment during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 15.
Aliyev was answering a question posed by RFE/RL on whether he still maintained that none of his political opponents is in jail, despite the incarceration of both presidential candidate Ilgar Mammadov and independent election observer Anar Mammadli.
Aliyev noted that a resolution on the existence of political prisoners in Azerbaijan was voted down by a majority of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly last year.
Aliyev also stressed that Baku would comply with any decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights and noted that neither the Council of Europe nor the European Parliament has yet agreed on the definition of a political prisoner.
He made the comment during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 15.
Aliyev was answering a question posed by RFE/RL on whether he still maintained that none of his political opponents is in jail, despite the incarceration of both presidential candidate Ilgar Mammadov and independent election observer Anar Mammadli.
Aliyev noted that a resolution on the existence of political prisoners in Azerbaijan was voted down by a majority of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly last year.
Aliyev also stressed that Baku would comply with any decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights and noted that neither the Council of Europe nor the European Parliament has yet agreed on the definition of a political prisoner.