ADA reports on activities performed over the past week

As the Azerbaijani government intensifies its crackdown on journalists ahead of the COP29 conference in Baku, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls on the international community to step up pressure on the authorities to release the 23 journalists and media workers unjustly imprisoned in Azerbaidjan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined a proposal to meet with Telegram founder and Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, according to the Telegram-channel “Baza.” Both the Russian President and the owner of the social network Telegram were in Azerbaijan at the same time.

On August 20, Ali Karimli, the chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PPFA), visited the family of Famil Khalilov, who has been on a hunger strike for six days in protest of his "unlawful arrest." "Famil Khalilov's young children are deeply traumatized by the sight of their father being arrested before their eyes. The situation is unbearable. Even his cellmates have refused to care for him anymore.

The Armenian side is blocking the opening of communications through Syunik, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on August 19 in Baku, responding to a question about the state of  the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. "We are convinced that the main thing is to follow the spirit and letter of the series of trilateral agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in 2020-2022. We are  for the prompt conclusion of a peace treaty and the unblocking of communications. Unfortunately, regarding the communications through the Syunik region of Armenia, it is the Armenian leadership that is sabotaging the agreement, which was signed by Prime Minister Pashinyan," Lavrov said, answering a question from Russia's Channel One.