On June 13, Chairman of the Constitutional Court Farhad Abdullayev met with co-speakers of the Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Cesar Preda and Stefan Schennach.

Speaking about the activities of the Constitutional Court, F.Abdullayev noted that in 1998, when Azerbaijan still was not a member of the Council of Europe, the Constitutional Court first adopted its decisions based on the practice of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In 2002, a referendum was held in Azerbaijan, as a result of which amendments were made to the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which enshrined the right of Ombudsman, courts and citizens to appeal to the Constitutional Court. To date, the Constitutional Court has adopted 350 decisions relating to various branches of law, which have binding force throughout the entire territory of Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, the Chairman of the Constitutional Court emphasized that the application of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the decisions of the Constitutional Court on the territories seized by the Armenian armed forces is not possible and that illegitimate courts have been created by separatists in the occupied territories, which is contrary to the norms of international law.

F.Abdullayev told the guests about the requests, appeals and complaints received by the Constitutional Court, as well as the essence of the decisions taken by the Constitutional Court for the past period.

The Chairperson noted that he keeps on top of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights with interest, and in most decisions the Constitutional Court refers to the case law of the Strasbourg Court.

Thanking for the provided extensive information, the guests were also interested in the complaint procedure being in the proceedings of the Constitutional Court. Questions were also asked about the amendments and additions made to the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a result of the national referendum held on September 26, 2016.

Providing the detailed answers to the questions, the Chairpersonof the Constitutional Court told about the importance of securing constitutional rights, and also mentioned constitutional guarantees in the protection of human rights and freedoms.

At the meeting also participates Judges and Staff of the Constitutional Court