Cybercrime

Effective response to the challenges of cybercrime and e-evidence were at the forefront of the Meeting on cybercrime legislation reforms and the Second Additional Protocol, organised by the CyberEast+ Project, a joint venture of the European Union and of the Council of Europe, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In her opening remarks, the Head of Division of International Organisations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan remarked that: “The accession of Azerbaijan to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime should be noted as the most important legislative measure in implementing international law on combating cybercrime into the sectoral legislation of our country. Since joining the Convention in 2009, Azerbaijan has made relevant amendments to its legislation, including the Criminal Code, and has taken necessary measures. Furthermore, work is currently underway to introduce appropriate changes to national legislation concerning electronic evidence.”

Representatives of the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, State Security Service, Special Communication and Information Security State Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office provided updates of the state of play in terms of cybercrime legislation reforms and discussed the possible signature and implementation of the Second Additional Protocol.  Specifically, Azerbaijani counterparts were interested in the benefits of direct cooperation with internet service providers (Articles 6 and 7), international cooperation between authorities for data disclosure (Articles 8, 9 and 10) and international cooperation in the absence of applicable international agreements (Articles 11 and 12). The adequate conditions and safeguards for the protection of human rights and liberties (Article 13) were also envisaged.

On this occasion, partner authorities agreed on the project country team composition. The event provided a forum to exchange views on a near-term workplan tailored to Azerbaijan’s specific legislative needs, including guidance notes and trainings on how to use the Second Additional Protocol.

The CyberEast+ project will continue to support Azerbaijani authorities to strengthen their criminal justice capacities in line with the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and its Second Additional Protocol.

CyberEast+ Project

Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)

Second Additional Protocol to the Cybercrime Convention on enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence