British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Irfan Siddig responding the question from Turan agency to comment on the ban on entry a number of British media to Azerbaijan, said the following:
"I attended the official opening ceremony last Friday together with the Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood. The ceremony was spectacular and hugely impressive. My favorite element was the dramatic manner in which the stage came to life, with grass sprouting from the earth and water flowing. It was also a real delight to be able to be there in person to welcome the Great Britain team to the Games. It was a great show, which I hope people throughout the world were able to see. Unfortunately, some British journalists were not given accreditation to attend the show. It is a shame that some journalists were deprived from being part of this occasion. It has also had a regrettable impact for Azerbaijan. If the intention behind denying accreditation to journalists was to prevent negative coverage, it had the opposite result, as it only produced more negative stories. Accepting differing points of view is one of the hallmarks of a strong democracy. It is important that Azerbaijan allows free access to all media and other interested parties to attend and observe the European Games and express their opinions about the games freely.” -06D-
Politics
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On Saturday, December 7th, a session of the "Musavat" Party's Majlis took place. During the session, the party leader, Isa Gambar, presented a report on the current socio-political situation in the country. The Majlis also approved a decision by the party’s board to grant district organizations of "Musavat" the authority to nominate candidates for the municipal elections scheduled for January 29, 2025. The party outlined its main areas of activity for 2025. A statement was issued on the human rights situation in the country.
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The human rights organization Freedom Now has joined calls to end the pressure on independent media in Azerbaijan.
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The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the arrests of Meydan TV employees. A statement of the organization on RSF’s X (formerly Twitter) account said: "Reporters Without Borders condemns these new arrests and calls for their immediate release, as well as the release of 13 other journalists held in disgraceful conditions on trumped-up charges."
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"I was deeply concerned to learn of the arrest of journalists working with Meydan TV. A free and independent press is a vital component of any democracy. Journalists must be able to report on issues without the fear of arrest, intimidation, or violence." This statement was posted by the UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Fergus Auld, on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday.
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