Baku / 21.08.18 / Turan: The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) appealed to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel with an appeal to raise the issue of observance of human rights and common European values in the field of democracy, the rule of law and fighting corruption during the upcoming visit to Baku.
The Azerbaijani authorities do not limit repressions against their critics inside the country, but bribes European politicians to whitewash their "anti-democratic and corrupt image," the appeal reads.Critics of the authorities face daily the risk of physical violence, as well as the threat of arrest on trumped-up charges.
E.Huseynov notes that he has been in political emigration for three years, and his brother - journalist and human rights activist Mehman Huseynov is kept in prison for more than 17 months.
Over the past three years, the authorities of Azerbaijan tried to liquidate in Germany the journalists Emin Milli, Habib Muntezir, and Tural Sadygly with the hands of their secret services and the criminal groups under their control.
Another criticism of the authorities - the former deputy of Azerbaijan, who was granted political asylum in Germany in 2013, Huseyn Abdullayev, was illegally detained in Turkey and sent to Azerbaijan.
Today the government of Azerbaijan assures Europe that the country provides energy security for Europe, forgetting its obligations on human rights, democracy and fighting corruption. With the support of energy projects of Azerbaijan with multi-billion loans, civil society does not feel any support from European partners, such as Germany or the European Commission, the appeal says.
IRFS calls on Merkel to immediately release all prisoners of conscience, urgent reforms in the sphere of electoral legislation, as well as in the sphere of activities of NGOs and the media, to the Azerbaijani authorities as a condition for continuing business cooperation. 06D-
Politics
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Voting in the early elections to the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan began at 8:00. Voting is taking place at 6,478 polling stations throughout Azerbaijan, including the lands liberated from occupation. 990 candidates are competing for 125 seats in the unicameral parliament.
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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