Baku / 15.11.20 / Turan: The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the US Department of State called for the release of journalists arrested in Azerbaijan, including the editor of the website xeberman.com Polad Aslanov. The Bureau said in a statement that Aslanov was arrested in June 2019 after publishing exposing articles about the illegal business of security officials related to facilitating a religious pilgrimage to Iran. He was forced to perjure himself. After a closed trial, the prosecutor proposed to sentence him to 17 years in prison, the State Department Bureau said.
On November 15, the final speech of the accused of high treason Aslanov is expected in court. Perhaps the verdict will be pronounced on the same day. At present, in addition to Aslanov, the founder and editor of Azel.tv Afgan Sadigov, editor of the religious website www.xeber44.com Araz Guliyev, head of the website www.kent.info Elchin Ismayilli, head of the website realliq.info Ikram Rahimov, head of the website yukselis.info Elchin Mammad and nia.az editor Bahruz Aliyev are also in jail. The Azerbaijani authorities deny that journalists are being harassed because of their professional activities and say they have been held accountable for specific criminal acts. –06D-
Politics
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On 23 November at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, eco-activists from different countries held a protest action against the failure of countries to agree on climate finance.
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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