Freedom House: Situation in Azerbaijan Continues to Deteriorate
The human rights organization Freedom House has published an annual report "Nations in Transit 2015", which analyzes the situation in 29 countries in various regions - from Central Europe to Central Asia, the Voice of America said.
Freedom House assesses the situation in each country, based on seven key indicators (the conditions of the electoral process, the position of civil society, the degree of independence of the media, the level of corruption, the quality control, etc.). The estimation is made on the seven-point scale, where 7 is the worst score.
According to the findings in the report, the rating of Estonia was 1.96 points, Latvia - 2.07, Lithuania - 2.36, Georgia - 4.64 (little progress in the field of local self-government), Ukraine - 4.75 (there have been improvements in four areas ) Moldova - 4.86, Armenia - 5.36, Kyrgyzstan - 5.93 (worsened the situation with civil society), Tajikistan - 6.39 (regression in two areas), Russia - 6.46 (negative developments occurred in four areas), Kazakhstan - 6.61, Belarus - 6.71, Azerbaijan - 6.75 (deterioration in the situation of civil society and the judiciary), Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - 6.93 points each.
As the report notes, authoritarian leaders paying lip service to democratic reforms, have systematized their repressive tactics and for the most part refused to conduct an inclusive policy. -02D-
Politics
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova has decided to unilaterally terminate the Moldovan-Russian agreement from 1998 on the creation and operation of cultural centers.
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By the order of the head of state, Rufat Mahmud has been appointed the new head of the historical and architectural reserve "Icheri Sheher" – the historic center of Baku.
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On February 13, the Appeal Court did not satisfy the defense's appeal against the decision of the Khatai Court regarding the arrest of journalist Shahnaz Beylargizi. According to the lawyer, the journalist herself did not participate in the trial due to poor health. The defense intends to submit a petition to replace the arrest with house arrest.
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Azerbaijan will limit 'Sputnik Azerbaijan' and 'BBC News Azərbaycanca' editorial offices. This was reported by the country's pro-government media on 13 February, citing an informed source.
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