Washington on Wednesday expressed alarm over the continued pre-trial detention of rights defender Leyla Yunus in Azerbaijan, without access to necessary medical care, despite her deteriorating health, TURAN's US correspondent reports.
"We are also especially concerned about continued threats to Leyla Yunus’ physical security. detention of a leading human rights defender in Azerbaijan," State Department's spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press statement.
On humanitarian grounds, Washington urges the Azeri government to "immediately grant Leyla Yunus access to independent medical evaluation and care, security, and improved conditions."
"We also urge the Government of Azerbaijan to respect the rule of law and to release those incarcerated for exercising fundamental freedoms, starting with those with serious medical conditions. This would include Leyla and her husband Arif, whose deteriorating health make their release particularly urgent," reads the statement.
Psaki also emphasized that it is "in Azerbaijan’s interest to ensure that its citizens are afforded the dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms to which all citizens are entitled under Azerbaijan’s international obligations." -0-
Politics
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Georgia's Foreign Minister, Maka Botchorishvili, arrived in Baku for an official visit on January 16, and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is expected to arrive in Baku on January 17, reports Echo of the Caucasus, citing government sources. Western countries refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Kobakhidze and his government due to the rigged elections. Until now, Kobakhidze and members of his cabinet have not made any official foreign visits.
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PACE co-rapporteur on monitoring Azerbaijan Lise Kristoffersen (Norway) and the general rapporteur on political prisoners Thorhildur Sunna Evarsdottir (Iceland) have expressed their deep concern over the sentencing of prominent Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.
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The Biden administration Wednesday announced new 'biting' Russia sanctions, as well as further actions to tighten some of its previous sanctions against Moscow by giving Congress the ability to block any attempts to weaken measures against core parts of the Kremlin's war machine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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Chief of General Staff of the Azerbaijani Army Kerim Veliyev attended the meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels in the format of Chiefs of General Staff of the Alliance member states.
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