In another troubling development affecting civil society in Azerbaijan, authorities sentenced highly respected Ganja-based NGO leader Hasan Huseynli to six years in prison July 14 on extremely suspect hooliganism charges, reads US Embassy Statement.
The U.S. Embassy in Baku has worked closely with Huseynli on activities related to student exchanges and English language training.
Given his mild manner and history of promoting civic engagement and education, it is virtually impossible to believe Huseynli used a knife against a local resident, as the prosecution claimed.
Huseynli is among a growing number of civil society activists sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Azerbaijan.
As a partner of Azerbaijan, the United States continues to encourage greater respect for the rights of all Azerbaijani citizens. We firmly believe guaranteeing fundamental freedoms will help ensure Azerbaijan’s long-term stability and prosperity, and we remain committed to working with the government and people of Azerbaijan to achieve these goals, reads the statement.-0-
Politics
-
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
-
This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
-
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
Leave a review