Baku / 30.04.19 / Turan: The United States International Committee on Religious Freedom (USCIRF) published a report on the situation in Azerbaijan in 2018. The report says that last year the government of Azerbaijan took a number of positive steps to discuss the issue of religious freedom with the United States and the international community, but religious freedom did not improve significantly. Throughout the year, local police continued to incite, arrest, fine, and persecute religious communities that ignore registration requirements.
The report also noted that the "religious radicals" were found guilty of the attempted assassination of the head of executive power of the city of Ganja in July 2018. They also accused the government of using Islam as a pretext for strengthening the country before Islamic terrorism. "
The report also addressed the issue of prisoners of conscience. It was noted that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) talk about 68 prisoners of conscience, most of whom are members of the Muslim Unity religious movement. In 2018, charges were raised of continuing systematic and comprehensive torture, especially torture against Islamists.
Based on this, Azerbaijan again receives the status of a country in violation of religious freedom and a country with a "systematic and regular, degrading" status of an "alarming country" in the framework of the International Law on Religious Freedom USCIRF (IRFA).
It should be noted that the United States International Committee on Religious Freedom annually publishes periodic reports on the religious situation. -0-
Politics
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Official Baku has condemned the visit of Polish President Andrzej Duda to the Azerbaijan-Armenia border during his official visit to Armenia. "The visit of Polish President Andrzej Duda to the to Armenia-Azerbaijan border area in the company of members of the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA), unfortunately, is another demonstration of anti-Azerbaijani policy of different EU member countries and European institutions. We deeply regret that President of the country which is officially a “strategic partner” of Azerbaijan has participated in the unacceptable diplomatic “binocular show” leading to the aggravation of relations between Azerbaijan and Poland,”" reads the statement on the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ account on X (formerly Twitter).
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According to the “Times of India”, the first batch of “Pinaka” missile systems has been delivered to Armenia.
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The next municipal elections in Azerbaijan will take place on January 29, 2025, Mazahir Panahov, the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), said at a meeting of the commission. It is worth noting that in recent years, there has been a policy of consolidating municipalities. Following changes to the legislation earlier this year, which provide for the consolidation of municipalities, their number has been reduced from 1,400 to 685.
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By the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, Siyavush Kerimi has been relieved of his duties as rector of the National Conservatory. By another decree from the head of state, Khamila Dadashzade has been appointed as the new rector of the institution. Previously, she headed the Department of Music History and Theory at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts. Dadashzade is a member of the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan.
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