Baku/12.04.21/Turan: The purpose of the current visit of investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli to Georgia is to obtain information on the progress of the investigation of his abduction in Tbilisi and to testify to the investigation. Mukhtarli said this in an interview with the "Difficult Question" program of the Turan agency.
Mukhtarli, currently living in Germany, noted that six months ago he was going to visit Georgia. At first, he was told that "there are no problems." When Mukhtarli was about to board the plane, he received a message that "Persons who do not have the right to permanent residence in the EU are not allowed to Georgia."
“Now, I flew to Georgia, not directly from Germany. I first arrived in Istanbul and from there to Tbilisi. True, in Istanbul they asked me different questions for about an hour, but in the end they let me on the plane,” the journalist said. In Tbilisi, Mukhtarli, in the presence of his lawyer, gave testimony at about 10 a.m. to General Prosecutor's Office of the country. He recalled that much earlier than his abduction on May 29, 2017, he had watched him being followed. Mukhtarli informed the Georgian authorities about this, but no measures were taken.
“I believe that the heads of the border authorities and special services of Georgia, the Criminal Police of Georgia, and the leadership of the border checkpoint “Lagodekhi” were involved in my abduction. On the day of my abduction, not a single CCTV camera was working on the route. And this is not accidental,” the journalist noted. Mukhtarli harbors no illusions about an objective investigation of his abduction.
“There are no expectations or hopes. They may appear if the government changes in Georgia,” Mukhtarli said.
* Investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli was abducted in Tbilisi in May 2017 and secretly transported to Azerbaijan, where he was accused of smuggling, illegal border crossing, and violence against a border guard and sentenced to 6 years in prison.
The arrest of Mukhtarli was condemned by the European Parliament and international human rights organizations. Amnesty International recognized him as a "prisoner of conscience".
He was released on March 17, 2020 and immediately sent from Baku to Germany. — 06D-
Difficult question
-
The municipal elections in Azerbaijan, held on January 29, took place without significant public interest or pre-election activity, according to an election law expert. Official data from the Central Election Commission (CEC) reported a voter turnout of 31.45%, but independent observers have cast doubt on this figure.
-
The absence of Azerbaijan's delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) winter session has sparked questions about the country’s participation in the European institution. According to sources in Azerbaijan's parliament, PACE did not send an official invitation to Azerbaijan, as participation requires such an invitation to be issued.
-
Azerbaijani pro-government media have unleashed an unexpected wave of anti-Russian rhetoric, including claims of espionage at the "Russian House" and accusations that the opposition National Council has ties with Moscow. Chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces Jamil Hasanli dismissed the allegations as baseless, describing them as part of a smear campaign by the government to shift attention from its own close ties with the Kremlin.
-
In the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, questions about his administration’s foreign policy direction loom large, particularly regarding its approach to the South Caucasus. Speaking on the "Difficult Question" program from Washington, Azerbaijani journalist Alex Raufoglu gave a subtle assessment of how the Trump presidency could affect relations between the United States and Azerbaijan.
Leave a review