'Deeply Troubled': U.S. Reacts To Arrest Of Three Journalists In Azerbaijan, Urges Respect For Freedom Of Expression

The United States on Tuesday, once again, urged the Azerbaijani government to respect rights and freedoms in the country, as the authorities in Baku reportedly detained additional journalists associated with the independent news outlet AbzasMedia, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We are deeply troubled by the reported arrest of three journalists: Ulvi Hasanli, as well as the allegations of Hasanli’s physical abuse in custody; Sevinj Vagifgizi; and Mahammad Kekalov, who is also a civic activist," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told TURAN.

"We urge the Azerbaijani government to respect the rights and freedoms of all, including freedom of expression," Miller added.

As TURAN reported earlier, a district court in Baku on Tuesday ordered that Hasanli and Vagifgizi remain in custody for four months on charges of conspiring to bring money into the country 'unlawfully'. If found guilty, they face up to eight years in prison under Article 206.3.2 of Azerbaijan’s criminal code.

According to the New York-based global press freedom watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists, as of Tuesday evening, Kekalov’s whereabouts remained unknown. Individuals in plainclothes who did not identify themselves took Kekalov from his home in Baku on Monday along with his laptop and cell phone, a source familiar with the case told CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

Abzas Media is one of a handful of independent outlets that remain in Azerbaijan following a series of raids, arrests, and criminal investigations against independent media and press freedom groups since 2014.

The latest detention of journalists investigating political corruption, follows the arrest of economist Gubad Ibadoghlu, who has been in jail since July on trumped up charges in retaliation for exposing high-level corruption in Azerbaijan.