Vienna/13.01.18/Turan: The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned the sentencing of journalist Afgan Mukhtarli to six years in prison by the Balakan District Court in Azerbaijan.
"The sentence, based on spurious charges against the investigative journalist, is a clear attack on free media. Silencing independent journalists can never be accepted. I hope that this verdict will be overturned on appeal," said Désir, who previously called on the authorities to drop all charges against Mukhtarli and respect his right to freedom of expression.
Mukhtarli was convicted of "smuggling", "illegal crossing of the border" and "resistance to an official representative".
Mukhtarli was reportedly abducted in Tbilisi in May 2017. Désir recalled that the investigation by Georgian authorities has still not been completed.
Previous interventions by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media regarding Afgan Mukhtarli can be found here: www.osce.org/fom/363206 and www.osce.org/fom/347741 -0-
Politics
-
This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
-
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
-
By the order of the head of state, Vusal Aslanov has been appointed Chairman of the Baku Metro CJSC.
Leave a review