The U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan meets with a group of human rights activists

On Monday the  U.S.  Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar  met with group of human rights activists.

It discussed the situation with human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan in the light of the U.S. State Department report on human rights in 2012.

During the meeting, they discussed such issues as human rights, freedom of speech and the rule of law. 

According to the annual report released in April by the U.S. State Department on the state of human rights in the world, the most serious problems in Azerbaijan  are:

1. Restrictions on freedom of expression, including intimidation, arrests, physical pressure on journalists and pro-democratic activists.

2. Restrictions on freedom of assembly.

3. Unfair trials, including arrests for political reasons, government influence on the courts, prolonged pre-trial detention.

4. Violation of property rights and forced evictions without adequate compensation.

In addition, torture committed by the police and  in prison, violation of privacy, restrictions on religious freedom of  a number of unregistered Muslim communities, corruption at all levels of government, the refusal to register human rights NGOs, etc.

According to Azerbaijani human rights activists, since the beginning of the year the situation has  worsened.—0—