“According to article 1.6 of the enabling Law, examining the activities of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, deputies of the Parliament, and judges shall not fall within the HRCA mandate. Also, the HRCA mandate does not extend to human rights violations by private entities. An NHRI mandate should be interpreted in a broad, liberal, and purposive manner to promote a progressive definition of human rights which includes all rights set out in international, regional, and domestic instruments, including economic, social and cultural rights.

Specifically, the mandate should: – extend to the acts and omissions of both the public and private sectors; – provide the authority to address recommendations to public authorities, to analyse the human rights situation in the country, and to obtain statements or documents in order to assess situations raising human rights issues; – authorize the full investigation into all alleged human rights violations, including the military, police, and security officers.

The SCA encourages the HRCA to advocate for amendments to its enabling law to empower it to authorize full investigation into all alleged human rights violations and to ensure that its mandate extends to the acts and omissions of the private sector. The SCA refers to Paris Principles A.1, A.2, and to its General Observation 1.2 on ‘Human rights mandate’.”