'Deeply Troubled': State Dept Reacts To Arrest Of Farid Mehralizade, Urges Azerbaijan To Release Those Unjustly Detained

The United States on Wednesday reiterated its call on the Azerbaijani government to "immediately release all individuals who are unjustly detained and to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all," as the State Department Spokesperson put it, when reacting to the arrest of yet another prominent civil society member in Azerbaijan, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

Farid Mehralizade, a prominent economic commentator and journalist, was detained late last week as part of the government’s ongoing crackdown on AbzasMedia. Both Mehralizade and the news outlet deny having any ties.

In response to TURAN's inquiry for reaction to the latest arrest, Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, told a daily briefing that they are "deeply troubled by the continued arrest of members of Azerbaijani civil society."

"Those who exercise their fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, should not face arrest for doing so," Miller emphasized.

The spokesperson went on to conclude: "We continue to urge the Azerbaijani Government to immediately release all individuals who are unjustly detained and to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based watchdog, Azerbaijan in recent months mounted a renewed assault on independent media by detaining at least a dozen journalists from outlets AbzasMedia, Kanal 13, and Toplum TV; namely Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Mahammad Kekalov, Hafiz Babali, Elnara Gasimova, Nargiz Absalamova, Aziz Orujov, Shamo Eminov, Alasgar Mammadli, and Mushfig Jabbar, and others, constituting a crackdown on journalists that was in part retaliation for their reporting on official corruption.