The State Department said on Friday it's been 'deeply engaged' on the issue of recent arrests in Azerbaijan, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"This is an issue that we continue to be deeply engaged on and raise directly," Vedant Patel, State Department's principal deputy spokesperson, told a daily press briefing when asked by TURAN about the issues of recently jailed government critics Tofig Yagublu and Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.
"The U.S. remains strongly committed to advancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and we again in this case urge the government [of Azerbaijan] to respect its citizens' rights, including the right to express views peacefully," Patel said, repeating the department's previously expressed position.
Hajiyev, a leading activist, was detained in early December and is accused of "hooliganism" and "contempt of court", allegations that human rights organizations say are politically motivated. Yagublu, a prominent opposition leader and ardent government critic, was detained on December 23 at a protest rally in the center of Baku demanding the release of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. Both ae currently holding hunger strikes in jail as a protest against the illegalities of the Azerbaijani authorities..
Asked by TURAN's correspondent whether these cases have been raised by Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried during her latest call to Azerbaijan this week, Patel said, "I don't have a specific call readout to offer ... but as I said, this is something that we are paying very close attention to, and I will echo what [spokesperson] Ned [Price] said when this was first raised, is that we are deeply troubled by these arrests and we urge authorities to release them expeditiously."
The latest arrests in Azerbaijan come amid a recent crackdown on opposition party functionaries and activists by the government.
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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Javid Ramazanov, an employee of “Toplum” Internet television, was taken to the Baku City Police Department today. Ramazanov was detained on the street and taken to the police, “Toplum TV” informed.
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Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova to Montenegro met with the President of this Balkan country, Yakov Milatovich as part of the official visit. According to the press service of the Milli Majlis, Gafarova conveyed to Milatovich the invitation of the President of Azerbaijan to participate in the Baku climate conference COP29. The parties discussed the prospects of bilateral relations. Milatovich noted with satisfaction that Azerbaijan is one of the main investors in Montenegro. Stressing the high level of cooperation, he emphasized the development of ties in the field of tourism.
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A bipartisan group of U.S..lawmakers on Friday introduced a bill that would enable sanctions against senior Azerbaijani officials for their role in the Karabakh war, and human rights violations, including violent repression of political opposition, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The Biden administration said on Friday that reauthorizing the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department agency that’s tasked with combating foreign propaganda and disinformation, "is a priority."
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