Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend K.Zarbaliyeva / The decisions made by the European Court on Human Rights against Azerbaijan are linked with cases based on old Soviet laws, Azerbaijan's Minister of Justice, Fikrat Mammadov, briefed the media.
The European Court on Human Rights made nine decisions against Azerbaijan. Most of them highlight the violation of rights on fair court proceedings (Article 6) of the European Convention on Main Human Rights and Freedom.
The Minister said that the Azerbaijani courts made decisions based on laws adopted during the Soviet era. "The laws of the Soviet period cannot correspond to the laws of the democratic society. The decisions made on the cases which are considered by the European Court on Human Rights are linked with these laws. Currently the Azerbaijan legislation in this respect has been improved further," the Minister said.
Of the decision made against Azerbaijan, two are linked with the registration of NGOs, two with the implementation of the court judgment, one with bad behavior and torture and one with violation of property rights.
Azerbaijan approved the European Convention on Main Human Rights and Freedoms in January 2001. After this, Azerbaijani citizens gained the right to appeal to the European Court.