The Ombudsperson participated in the opening ceremony of the 11th Baku International Book Fair

Sabina Aliyeva, the Ombudsperson of Azerbaijan, participated in the opening ceremony of the 11th Baku International Book Fair held at the Baku Expo Center, organized by the Ministry of Culture.

During her speech, the Ombudsperson congratulated the participants of the exhibition on the occasion of the region’s largest book festival and extended her warm and sincere wishes to them.

Noting the particular importance of this year’s exhibition being dedicated to the theme “Techno-human: Yesterday’s Legend, Today’s Reality,” the Ombudsperson emphasized that such international exhibitions are of great significance not only for culture but also for education, especially in terms of expanding legal knowledge.

S. Aliyeva highlighted that since the ombuds institution in Azerbaijan was established, numerous legal education materials, including books, leaflets, and brochures have been prepared and published in multiple languages. In general, 279 different publications have been distributed to a broad audience.

After the opening ceremony, the Ombudsperson reviewed the books and printed materials exhibited at the fair, and also met with numerous visitors at the stand showcasing the ombuds institution’s publications, answering their questions.

It should be noted that this year’s exhibition features 279 publications by the ombuds institution in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Ukrainian, and French. Among the displayed materials are resources focused on the protection of the rights of children, persons with disabilities, military servicemen, prisoners, and migrants, as well as on preventing domestic violence, the right to access information, and other relevant topics.

Noteworthy publications printed this year include the “National Preventive Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture,” prepared for persons with full visual impairment; “10 Questions – 10 Answers” designed for military personnel; and the educational materials “Know Our Rights, Don’t Experience Discrimination!” available in both Azerbaijani and English, which promote the equality rights.

In addition, fact-finding missions’ reports based on the findings by the Ombudsperson are also presented to the exhibition participants. These reports provide detailed insight into human rights violations committed by Armenia during the 44-day Second Karabakh War and the post-war period, as well as serious crimes that occurred during the long-term occupation of territories of Azerbaijan, including acts motivated by hatred.

The institution’s publications, printed for the purpose of legal awareness, have been sent to the ombuds and NHRIs, national libraries, international human rights organizations, university libraries, as well as to the libraries of various state bodies, entities and offices of international organizations in Azerbaijan.