Foreign Ministry of Norway Concerned about Situation around Turan News Agency
Baku / 30.08.17 / Turan: The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has expressed deep concern over the situation around Turan News Agency. "We are deeply concerned about the situation around the news agency and, in general, freedom of the press in Azerbaijan," the statement on the Norwegian Foreign Ministry's Twitter page reads.
As part of the criminal investigation against Turan, the Agency"s Director, Mehman Aliyev, has been arrested and the Agency"s bank accounts have been frozen, which has caused the Agency to suspend its activities from September 1.
* Mehman Aliyev was detained on August 24. The next day he was charged under Articles 213.1 (tax evasion), 308.1 (abuse of official powers) and 192.2.2 (illegal business with a large income) of the Criminal Code. The court selected a preventive measure against him in the form of arrest until November 7. Aliyev rejected all the accusations and called them politically motivated.
International organizations have condemned Aliyev"s arrest and called for his immediate release. The US State Department also called for the immediate release of Mehman Aliyev. Concern about Aliyev"s arrest was expressed by the French and British Foreign Ministries, urging the Azerbaijani authorities to comply with their international obligations in the field of human rights. -06D--
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