The spokespersons of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, and Štefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, issued the following statement on December 20:
"The High Representative and the Commissioner are very concerned at the arrest of Mr. Anar Mammadli, Chairman of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, on 16 December and by the Court's decision to sentence Mr. Mammadli to three months' pre-trial detention in the absence of his lawyer.
The High Representative and Commissioner Fule call upon the Azerbaijan authorities to ensure a speedy, fair, transparent and independent investigation of the charges against Mr. Mammadli, free of political influence and prejudice while fully respecting due process.
The EU will closely monitor the case of Mr. Mammadli as well as other ongoing legal procedures in Azerbaijan involving civil society organisations and individuals." -0-
Politics
-
On January 24, the Baku Court of Appeals considered an appeal regarding the arrest of journalist Farid Ismailov. According to his lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova, the defense argued that there was no need to keep the journalist in custody, citing his health problems and the fact that the preliminary investigation had already been completed.
-
The human rights situation in Azerbaijan in 2024 was characterized by an increase in repression against journalists, activists, and religious groups, the annual report of the NGO "Line of Defense," presented on January 24 by member of the organization, human rights activist Zafar Ahmedov.
-
On January 24, the Sabail District Court continued the trial of Aziz Orujov, the head of the online publication Kanal-13. According to lawyer Fahraddin Mehdiyev, at the beginning of the hearing, the judge rejected a petition filed at the previous hearing to transfer Orujov to house arrest. The defense then petitioned for journalists to be allowed into the trial and for conditions to be created for them to conduct filming.
-
On January 24, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Commander of the Land Forces, Colonel General Hikmat Mirzayev, arrived on an official visit to Türkiye. According to the Ministry of Defense's statement, the Azerbaijani delegation was received by the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, Army General Selçuk Bayraktaroglu.
Leave a review