Published on 17 February 2025
 
THIRD SECTION
Application no. 23867/23
Emin ASLANOV and Others
against Azerbaijan
lodged on 9 June 2023
communicated on 30 January 2025
(see list appended)
 
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE
The application concerns a refusal by the Ministry of Justice to register the applicant association, a non-governmental organisation (“NGO”) called “Independent Lawyers Network”.
By a letter of 11 August 2021, the Ministry of Justice refused to grant the request for registration submitted by three individual applicants who were founders of the applicant organisation. The Ministry noted that the founders had failed to indicate in the name of the organisation the nature of its activities, as required by domestic law. The applicants’ appeals were unsuccessful. The final decision was adopted by the Supreme Court on 20 December 2022.
The applicants complain before the Court that the refusal to register the applicant association was in breach of their right to freedom of association under Article 11 of the Convention. They also complain under Article 13 of the Convention that they did not have an effective remedy in respect of their complaint under Article 11 of the Convention.
 
 
 
QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES
1.  Has there been an interference with the applicants’ freedom of association, within the meaning of Article 11 § 1 of the Convention? If so, was that interference necessary in terms of Article 11 § 2 (see Jafarov and Others v. Azerbaijan, no. 27309/14, §§ 54-56, 25 July 2019, and Election Monitoring Centre and Others v. Azerbaijan, no. 64733/09, §§ 39-59, 2 December 2021)?
 
2.  Did the applicants have at their disposal an effective domestic remedy for their complaint under Article 11 of the Convention, as required by Article 13 of the Convention?
 
 
 
APPENDIX
List of applicants
 
No.
Applicant’s Name
Year of birth/registration
Place of residence
1.
Emin Ildirim oglu ASLANOV
1986
Baku
2.
Emin Vigami oglu ABBASOV
1987
Baku
3.
Nijat Bagir oglu MAMMADBEYLI
1987
Baku
4.
INDEPENDENT LAWYERS NETWORK
 
Baku