The Voice of Mirza Xazar

BAKU/10.04.09/TURAN: On April 8, 2009 Andres Herkel, rapporteur of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and Veronika Kotek, special representative of the General Secretary of Council of Europe in Azerbaijan, met with Novruzali Mammadov, head of the Talysh Cultural Centre, who is servicing his term of imprisonment in the high security colony No 15.

A source from the Committee for Mammadov’s Rights told Turan that the meeting took about two hours. Mammadov said that the charge on cooperation with the Iranian security services brought against him is “absurd.” The verdict read that Tolyshi Sado newspaper published by Mammadov was nationalistic and paved the way for the Talysh autonomy in the future.

Herkel said he and Christopher Schtrasser, the recently appointed PACE rapporteur for political prisoners, is familiar with his case and he will remind president about it during the meeting. Herkel also said that Schtrasser will meet with Mammadov during his first visit to Baku.