Azerbaijan’s Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva has commented on the deportation of AZERTAC employee from New Caledonia being labelled as an "undesirable person" and the further tightening of the illegal punishment given to Azerbaijani military serviceman by Armenia.

Sabina Aliyeva said that the prohibition of entry of an employee of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) Aygun Hasanova into New Caledonia on the eve of the December 5th rally, being labelled as an "undesirable person", and the brutal treatment over the Azerbaijani journalist by the New Caledonian police and her removal from the country, violate the norms and principles of the international law. She noted that it is a clear indication of the strict violation of the right to freedom of speech, press, and access to information.

The Azerbaijani Ombudsman highlighted that in accordance with an Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person has the right to freedom of opinion and the freedom to freely express it, the freedom to hold his opinion without hindrance and the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any means and regardless of national borders.

“Currently, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of this milestone document in the world, I strongly condemn the occurrence of such negative situations in a country which calls itself the cradle of democracy and the brutal behavior of the New Caledonian police against the employee of AZERTAC, the restriction of her activities, and the gross violation of the right to access information."

Sabina Aliyeva emphasized that this kind of action by France, which has been pursuing a colonial policy for many years, should be considered as preventing the right voice of the people of New Caledonia, who are fighting for their independence and freedom, from being conveyed to the world community.

Speaking about the life imprisonment of Azerbaijani military serviceman Huseyn Akhundov, who went missing this April in the area along the border with Armenia in the Shahbuz district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and who was later detained by Armenia, Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva underscored that imprisonment of the Azerbaijan Army serviceman on false charges and charging with a life sentence, contravene the norms and principles of international law.

"Despite repeated requests from our side regarding this issue, Armenia still continues to grossly violate the requirements of international law.

At the same time, this provocative step of Armenia poses a serious obstacle to the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries and the establishment of lasting peace in the region. I state once again that the Armenian side must immediately release the illegally imprisoned Azerbaijani military serviceman Huseyn Akhundov, as well as our soldier Agshin Babirov, and take necessary steps to return them to our country” the Azerbaijani Ombudsman emphasized.