U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following in response to sentencing of civil society activists in Azerbaijan.
Senator Cardin has been an outspoken critic of the Azerbaijani government’s crackdown on civil society. Most recently, he called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to halt human rights abuses, respect the freedom of the press, and allow the reopening of Radio Free Europe.
“I am deeply disturbed by today’s verdict against Leyla and Arif Yunus. They have worked tirelessly over many years to peacefully bring about democratic change in Azerbaijan and they have endured just as many years of harassment by the government.
Today as we condemn the harsh prison sentences they are facing, we also celebrate their strength and spirit of endurance and hope that it serves as an inspiration to others. I will continue to push for the restoration of the rule of law in Azerbaijan and the release of Leyla and Arif Yunus.” -02D-
Politics
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Voting in the early elections to the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan began at 8:00. Voting is taking place at 6,478 polling stations throughout Azerbaijan, including the lands liberated from occupation. 990 candidates are competing for 125 seats in the unicameral parliament.
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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