Baku / 18.01.18 / Turan: Azerbaijan is not a free country, coordinator of the Center for the Protection of Political Prisoners Ogtay Gulaliyev said, commenting on the Freedom House report.
"Azerbaijan is justifiably included in the list of non-free countries, because civil society is practically squeezed out, independent NGOs are practically banned, free press is strangled, and people are persecuted or pursued in various ways," he said in an interview with the Turan program Chetin Sual (Difficult Question).
Azerbaijan is among the world leaders in terms of the number of convicted journalists. Out of 161 political prisoners, about 15 are journalists and bloggers. In addition, up to 30 websites are blocked on the territory of Azerbaijan.
"All this shows that there is no media freedom in Azerbaijan, and total attacks on freedom of speech continue. All this is managed from the Presidential Administration and entities and individuals close to it. To change the situation in the country, this problem should be solved," Gulaliyev said.
Is the international community's attention sufficient for the human rights issue in Azerbaijan?
Answering this question, Gulaliyev said that international organizations periodically note violation of human rights in Azerbaijan, state disrespect for democratic values, persecution of people because of their political views, calling for an end to this.
"But this is not enough, I think we need to use more effective means. For example, the kidnapping of the journalist Afgan Mukhtarly in Tbilisi was noted by the US State Department, the European Parliament and other authoritative structures. However, if the kidnapping of a journalist is carried out at the level of state bodies, it is wrong to limit oneself to statements only. I think that serious measures and sanctions should be taken against those who are involved in the abduction of Mukhtarly and sanctioned his arrest.
I believe that international organizations should respond more adequately to the ongoing processes in Azerbaijan, including arrests and repressions," Gulaliyev said. -03C06--
Difficult question
-
On December 18, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, gave an interview to several Russian media outlets. In this interview, Aliyev discussed the significant influence of Western countries on processes in Georgia, highlighting the activities of thousands of non-governmental organizations in the country funded from abroad. The president also reacted to news coverage about Azerbaijan in Western media.
-
The 2025 state budget, changes to the Tax Code, the minimum living standard for the upcoming year, need criteria, and the draft budget of Azerbaijan's State Social Protection Fund (SSPF) for 2025 were analyzed by economist and chairman of the REAL Party, Natig Jafarli, on the program “Difficult Question.”
-
The recent arrests in Azerbaijan, processes related to the state of human rights in the country, and the reactions of international organizations and the West were discussed on the program "Difficult Question" by Jamil Hasanli, Chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces.
-
The recent arrests, the state of human rights in the country, and the reactions of international organizations and the West to what is happening in Azerbaijan were discussed in the program "Complex Question" by Samira Gasimli, a political psychologist and the wife of political scientist Azer Gasimli, director of the Institute of Political Management.
Leave a review