Recent Trend Of Detaining Journalists in Azerbaijan 'Deeply Troubling', State Department Says
The State Department reacted to the latest arrest in Azerbaijan's media crackdown. Journalist Hafiz Babali from an anticorruption outlet AbzasMedia, who also works as economics editor at Turan News Agency, was detained yesterday on trumped-up charges before court placed him in pre-trial detention for 3 months.
"The recent trend of detaining journalists is deeply troubling. We continue to urge the Azerbaijani government to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, including those exercising freedom of expression," a State Department spokesperson told TURAN's Washington correspondent.
Like his other detained AbzasMedia colleagues, Mr. Babali faces up to 8 years in prison on currency smuggling charges the outlet dismisses as retaliation for its investigations into senior state officials.
Politics
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Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) released the following statement today:
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Access to the website of the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti has been unblocked in Azerbaijan. Access to the website of this media was blocked after RIA Novosti published an interview with the so-called "state minister" of the former separatist regime in Karabakh Artak Beglaryan in June 2022. Baku regarded this publication as not respecting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan by the Russian state media.
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On July 23, a meeting was held at the National Defense University with a delegation of the Chinese Army Academy of Military Sciences, which is on a visit to Azerbaijan. The guests were given a briefing on the history and main activities of the National Defense University. During the meeting, prospects for the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in the field of military education were discussed.
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On July 23, Deputy Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan V. Grushko and S. Sharifov met in Moscow. "The parties discussed the current situation in the South Caucasus and neighboring regions. An exchange of views was held on the issues of the EU and NATO, the situation in the OSCE and the regional activities of the Council of Europe. A number of bilateral and international topics of mutual interest were touched upon.
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