site.btaBulgarian Diaspora in Azerbaijan Condemn Actions of Law Enforcement Agencies in Russian City of Yekaterinburg

A statement condemning human rights violations during a special operation in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg was sent to BTA by the team of a public association in support of the development of the Azerbaijani-Bulgarian friendship.

According to the information circulated by the association, during an operation conducted on June 27, cases of death and bodily harm were reported by the law enforcement agencies in Azerbaijani citizens.

"The facts about the use of force that led to human casualties cause deep concern in the Bulgarian Azerbaijani diaspora," the association's team said. The statement stressed that the disproportionate use of force contradicts the basic principles of international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The use of ethnic rhetoric, including the concept of" ethnic crime ", which contributes to the stigma of national minorities and the incitement to ethnic hatred, is especially disturbing," the statement said.

The association’s team insists on an independent investigation of the incident, a legal evaluation of the actions of the law enforcement agencies and the prosecution of the perpetrators, the guarantee of the rights of the victims and their families, the institution and the reinforcement, and the reinforcement of the mechanisms for the protection of national minorities against ethnic prejudices in the work of law enforcement.

In conclusion, the association has called on international organizations, including those working in the field of human rights protection to pay attention to the case and assist in international monitoring of the situation.

Diplomatic tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan escalated after police operations targeted against Azerbaijani citizens were carried out in various Russian cities, Reuters noted. In response, the Azerbaijani authorities detained two Russian journalists in Baku and about fifteen more Russian citizens on suspicion of drug and cybercrime trafficking. According to statements from Azerbaijan, autopsies carried out in Baku of two Azerbaijani citizens who died in Russia showed traces of beating and injuries that led to their deaths. Moscow, in turn, rejected these claims.