State Department Says 'Deeply Engaged' On Issue Of Recent Arrests In Azerbaijan

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.