BETA


2011/2945(RSP) Resolution on Azerbaijan, in particular the case of Rafig Tagi

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 144

Events

2011/12/15
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2011/12/15
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2011/12/15
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Azerbaijan, in particular the case of Rafig Tagi, a prominent Azerbaijani writer and journalist, who died in Baku on 23 November 2011 from the injuries he had sustained during a brutal knife attack four days earlier.

The resolution was tabled by the ECR, S&D, Greens/EFA, EPP, EFD and ALDE groups.

It notes Rafig Tagi had reportedly been receiving death threats in the weeks prior to the attack, believed to be in retaliation for an article, amongst others, published on the Radio Azadlyq (Liberty) website on 10 November 2011, in which he criticised the current Iranian Government. A leading Iranian cleric, Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, issued the fatwa calling for Rafiq Tagi to be killed after Rafig Tagi published the said article, and also called for Samir Sadagatoglu, the editor of the Sanat newspaper, to be killed. Members recall that Tagi wrote an article in the newspaper Sanat, in which he argued that Islamic values were preventing Azerbaijan's integration into European structures and stunting its democratic progress.

Parliament strongly condemns the murder of Rafig Tagi and expresses its concern over the safety of Samir Sadagatoglu. It is disappointed with the failure of the Azerbaijani authorities to clearly condemn the murder of Rafig Tagi and ensure public awareness of the investigation of the circumstances surrounding his death.

Welcoming the move by the Azerbaijani Government to set up a special working group to investigate the murder of Rafig Tagi, Parliament calls on the Azerbaijan authorities to ensure that the investigation is thorough and effective, and that perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice in a trial which meets international fair trial standards. It calls on the Iranian authorities to offer all necessary cooperation to the Azerbaijani authorities during the investigation of the murder, and to ensure that Iranian clerics do not call for the murder of anyone, whether in Iran or in any other country.

It also calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to do their utmost to protect the life and safety of Samir Sadagatoglu.

Members urge the Iranian authorities to remove the concept of ‘deserving of death’ from the revised Penal Code currently under discussion in Iran's parliament. They note the concern expressed by the UN Human Rights Committee about Article 226 of the Iranian Penal Code, which states that committing murder will result in retaliation provided the murdered person did not deserve to die in accordance with Islamic law, with fatwas used to justify the fact that an individual ‘deserves to die’. They are gravely concerned that the existence of fatwas calling for the killing of an individual could be used as a defence in Iranian courts by persons accused of murder, on the grounds that the victim ‘deserved to die’. They urge the Iranian authorities to ensure that anyone suspected of inciting, planning, committing or aiding murder, whether the killing takes place in Iran or elsewhere, is brought to justice in a trial which fully meets international fair trial standards.

Members deplore the failure of the Azerbaijani authorities to grant a visa to the rapporteur on political prisoners of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. They call on the Government of Azerbaijan to allow the rapporteur to visit the country in order to investigate the situation of the alleged political prisoners.

Lastly, the Azerbaijani authorities are asked to show their genuine commitment to human rights and comply with their obligations under international law and in the context of Euronest, the Eastern Partnership or any future Association Agreement with the EU, in particular the protection of the right to life and to freedom of expression.

Documents
2011/12/15
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2011/12/13
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2011/12/13
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2011/12/13
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2011/12/13
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2011/12/13
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2011/12/13
   Joint motion for resolution
Documents

Documents

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0701_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0701_EN.html
docs/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0703_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0703_EN.html
docs/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0705_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0705_EN.html
docs/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0706_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0706_EN.html
docs/4/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0709_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0709_EN.html
docs/5/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-7-2011-0701_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-7-2011-0701_EN.html
events/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111215&type=CRE
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-7-2011-12-15-TOC_EN.html
events/2
date
2011-12-15T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2011-0590_EN.html title: T7-0590/2011
summary
events/2
date
2011-12-15T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2011-0590_EN.html title: T7-0590/2011
summary
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 144
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 135
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-701&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0701_EN.html
docs/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-703&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0703_EN.html
docs/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-705&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0705_EN.html
docs/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-706&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0706_EN.html
docs/4/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-709&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-7-2011-0709_EN.html
docs/5/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=P7-RC-2011-701&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-7-2011-0701_EN.html
events/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-590
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2011-0590_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2011-12-15T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=21046&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111215&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-590 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0590/2011 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
committees
    docs
    • date: 2011-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-701&language=EN title: B7-0701/2011 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2011-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-703&language=EN title: B7-0703/2011 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2011-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-705&language=EN title: B7-0705/2011 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2011-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-706&language=EN title: B7-0706/2011 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2011-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2011-709&language=EN title: B7-0709/2011 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2011-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=P7-RC-2011-701&language=EN title: RC-B7-0701/2011 type: Joint motion for resolution
    events
    • date: 2011-12-15T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=21046&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
    • date: 2011-12-15T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111215&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
    • date: 2011-12-15T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-590 title: T7-0590/2011 summary: The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Azerbaijan, in particular the case of Rafig Tagi, a prominent Azerbaijani writer and journalist, who died in Baku on 23 November 2011 from the injuries he had sustained during a brutal knife attack four days earlier. The resolution was tabled by the ECR, S&D, Greens/EFA, EPP, EFD and ALDE groups. It notes Rafig Tagi had reportedly been receiving death threats in the weeks prior to the attack, believed to be in retaliation for an article, amongst others, published on the Radio Azadlyq (Liberty) website on 10 November 2011, in which he criticised the current Iranian Government. A leading Iranian cleric, Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, issued the fatwa calling for Rafiq Tagi to be killed after Rafig Tagi published the said article, and also called for Samir Sadagatoglu, the editor of the Sanat newspaper, to be killed. Members recall that Tagi wrote an article in the newspaper Sanat, in which he argued that Islamic values were preventing Azerbaijan's integration into European structures and stunting its democratic progress. Parliament strongly condemns the murder of Rafig Tagi and expresses its concern over the safety of Samir Sadagatoglu. It is disappointed with the failure of the Azerbaijani authorities to clearly condemn the murder of Rafig Tagi and ensure public awareness of the investigation of the circumstances surrounding his death. Welcoming the move by the Azerbaijani Government to set up a special working group to investigate the murder of Rafig Tagi, Parliament calls on the Azerbaijan authorities to ensure that the investigation is thorough and effective, and that perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice in a trial which meets international fair trial standards. It calls on the Iranian authorities to offer all necessary cooperation to the Azerbaijani authorities during the investigation of the murder, and to ensure that Iranian clerics do not call for the murder of anyone, whether in Iran or in any other country. It also calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to do their utmost to protect the life and safety of Samir Sadagatoglu. Members urge the Iranian authorities to remove the concept of ‘deserving of death’ from the revised Penal Code currently under discussion in Iran's parliament. They note the concern expressed by the UN Human Rights Committee about Article 226 of the Iranian Penal Code, which states that committing murder will result in retaliation provided the murdered person did not deserve to die in accordance with Islamic law, with fatwas used to justify the fact that an individual ‘deserves to die’. They are gravely concerned that the existence of fatwas calling for the killing of an individual could be used as a defence in Iranian courts by persons accused of murder, on the grounds that the victim ‘deserved to die’. They urge the Iranian authorities to ensure that anyone suspected of inciting, planning, committing or aiding murder, whether the killing takes place in Iran or elsewhere, is brought to justice in a trial which fully meets international fair trial standards. Members deplore the failure of the Azerbaijani authorities to grant a visa to the rapporteur on political prisoners of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. They call on the Government of Azerbaijan to allow the rapporteur to visit the country in order to investigate the situation of the alleged political prisoners. Lastly, the Azerbaijani authorities are asked to show their genuine commitment to human rights and comply with their obligations under international law and in the context of Euronest, the Eastern Partnership or any future Association Agreement with the EU, in particular the protection of the right to life and to freedom of expression.
    • date: 2011-12-15T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
    links
    other
      procedure/legal_basis/0
      Rules of Procedure EP 135
      procedure/legal_basis/0
      Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 135
      procedure/subject
      Old
      • 6.10.08 Fundamental freedoms, human rights, democracy in general
      New
      6.10.08
      Fundamental freedoms, human rights, democracy in general
      activities
      • date: 2011-12-15T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=21046&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111215&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-590 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0590/2011 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
      committees
        links
        other
          procedure
          legal_basis
          Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 135
          reference
          2011/2945(RSP)
          title
          Resolution on Azerbaijan, in particular the case of Rafig Tagi
          geographical_area
          Azerbaijan
          stage_reached
          Procedure completed
          subtype
          Urgent debate or resolution
          type
          RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
          subject
          6.10.08 Fundamental freedoms, human rights, democracy in general