Despite irregularities during elections in November 2000 and January 2001, Azerbaijan was admitted to the Council of Europe in January 2001.
While having adopted several laws aimed at strengthening civic freedoms and acceding to a number of international human rights treaties, Azerbaijan’s human rights performance remained poor. Concerns persist about the independence of judges. A new Law on Advocates preserved the monopoly of the Collegium of Advocates in criminal cases.
Attacks on Justice 2002 – Azerbaijan [full text, PDF]