Official Baku has accused the US of interfering in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry responded to the statement by US State Department spokesman Marie Harf related to the conviction of the human rights activist Rasul Jafarov in Azerbaijan.

This statement of US State Department is only surprising, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev said.

In the Republic of Azerbaijan the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and the independence of the judiciary are ensured.

In Azerbaijan, no one is persecuted for his political activities and views. Azerbaijan is fully in compliance with commitments made at the international level, continued Hajiyev.

According to him, Jafarov was prosecuted for tax evasion, misappropriation and other illegal actions, and this was proved in court.

All are equal before the law and human rights activities are not exempt from liability under the law.

"This statement by the US State Department goes beyond the rule of law and is intended to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan," said Hajiyev.

The United States, calling for the implementation of international commitments, must first demand from Armenia occupying our lands in violation of the norms and principles of international law, the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act to withdraw its troops from the occupied territories.

In continuation of the occupation and the aggressive policy, Armenia again conducts provocative military exercises in the occupied areas and the United States does not react to that.

It would be better if, showing such great interest to individual criminal facts, the United States gave due attention to rights violations as a result of Armenian aggression, regarding more than 1 million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s representative stated in conclusion. -06D--