New York /18.08.17/Turan: Azerbaijani authorities should stop harassing Turan, the country's only independent news agency, and should allow it to work without fear of reprisal, the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.
"The Azerbaijani government has repeatedly used politically motivated criminal charges as a weapon to silence independent and opposition media," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "We call on Azerbaijani authorities to drop the politically motivated investigation into Turan news agency and to stop trying to intimidate independent journalists with legal harassment."
According to media reports, tax officials raided Turan"s newsroom in the capital Baku on August 16, confiscated the agency's financial documents, and searched reporters" computers and personal belongings, as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion. Authorities allege that Turan owes 37,000 manats (US$21,500) in back taxes for the period 2014-2016. The Agency appealed the decision of the Ministry of Taxes in court. -16D06-
Politics
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On 23 November at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, eco-activists from different countries held a protest action against the failure of countries to agree on climate finance.
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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