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Azerbaijan - OPCAT Situation

Updated 31.05.2013

Azerbaijan ratified the OPCAT in January 2009 and the same month, it designated its Ombudsperson's Office (Commissioner for Human Rights) as NPM by means of presidential decree. Amendments to the legislation of the Ombudsperson's Office were later adopted in December 2010 to provide the institution with a legal basis for its NPM work.

The Azeri NPM started its operations as soon as 2009 and a specific preventive unit was later established within the institution to conduct visits to places of detention.

The SPT member Victor Zaharia is the SPT Focal Point for Azerbaijan.

Opcat status
OPCAT Ratification January 28, 2009
UNCAT Ratification August 16, 1996
NPM Designated

Commissioner for Human Rights

NPM Type

National Human Rights Institution - NPM Unit

NPM Legal Framework

Presidential Decree n°112 (13 January 2009) - Unofficial translation

Consitutional Law on Commissioner for Human Rights - Unofficial translation

Information
Population 7 961 619
Area (sq km) 86 600
Number of prisons 53
Prison population 20 986
Quick links

Communication to the SPT: Official Correspondence from Azerbaijan (10 June 2009)

CAT: Concluding Observations (November 2009)

UPR: Report of the Working Group (February 2009)

CPT: Report (December 2008) and next visit planned in 2011 (press release)

Commissioner for Human Rights (Council of Europe): Report (March 2010)