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CPJ demands release of arrested journalists in Azerbaijan
Washington/19.06.19/Turan: Azerbaijani authorities should immediately release journalists Ikram Rahimov and Polad Aslanov and drop the charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
On June 12, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Ikram Rahimov, chief editor of independent news website Realliq, to five and a half years in prison on charges of extortion, according to the journalist's lawyer, Elchin Sadygov, who spoke with CPJ, and regional news website Kavkazsky Uzel.
On June 14, the Sabail district court in Baku ordered Polad Aslanov, chief editor of independent news websites Xeberman and Press-az, to remain in detention for four months pending an investigation on charges of high treason following his arrest on June 12, according to Sadygov, who is also representing Aslanov, and Kavkazsky Uzel. If found guilty, he could be jailed for life, according to Article 274 of the Azerbaijani criminal code and the journalist's lawyer.
On October 26, 2018, police arrested Rahimov a few hours after he published an editorial alleging corruption in the country's Press Council, a government media regulator, as CPJ reported at the time. Authorities alleged that Rahimov and his colleagues collected compromising information on individuals as a means of extortion, while Rahimov's brother told CPJ that the journalist was being prosecuted for his work.
On June 12, 2019, Azerbaijani authorities detained Aslanov with his wife and daughter at a border crossing when he attempted to enter Iran to attend a friend's wedding, according to Kavkazsky Uzel. The following day, the country's state security service issued a statement accusing Aslanov of conspiring to sell secret information to foreign governments and publishing anti-government statements online. His wife and daughter were released after being briefly detained, and authorities confiscated Aslanov's camera, computer, and phone, according to Kavkazsky Uzel.
Sadygov told CPJ that Aslanov denies the charges and said they were in retaliation for the journalist's criticism of public officials and laws. Sadygov said the journalist was preparing to publish an investigation into alleged corruption in the tourism sector involving high-ranking government officials before his arrest.
The Azerbaijani prosecutor general's office in Baku did not respond to CPJ's emailed request for comment on the cases.
Ten journalists were found to be imprisoned in Azerbaijan in direct relation to their work at the time of CPJ's annual prison census on December 1, 2018.-0-
Politics
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As the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, scheduled for September 1, approach, the country's political landscape is characterized by contradictions and strategic decision-making. The Musavat Party, a significant opposition group, recently convened to discuss its participation in these elections. Party officials expressed concern over the persistent restrictions on fundamental democratic rights and freedoms, such as assembly, speech, and expression. They highlighted the ongoing detentions of political activists and journalists, emphasizing that these conditions hinder the conduct of fair and free elections.
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Invitations to about 30 international organizations will be sent to monitor the early parliamentary elections on September 1, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov said at today's meeting of the Central Election Commission (CEC). However, he did not specify specifically which organizations the invitations would be sent to.
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On July 2, the Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Army, Kerim Veliyev, met with Stefan Fix, Deputy Chief of Staff of the NATO Joint Forces Command with headquarters in Brunssum, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan.
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On July 2, the Baku Court of Appeal considered the complaint of the head of Kanal 13 Internet television, Aziz Orujev, against the extension of the arrest. The complaint was filed by the decision of the Sabail court of June 25 to extend the term of arrest of Orujev and an employee of this media, Shamo Eminov, for another 3 months until September 27.
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