"Azerbaijan's introduction of legal restrictions on the Internet, including new penalties to criminalize online speech, represents a further erosion of freedom of expression in a country where several journalists and bloggers are already detained or sentenced to prison terms," Thomas Melia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor stated at OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, September 25, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
Addressing in front of the OSCE member representatives, Mr. Melia reminded that journalists, such as Khadija Ismayilova, are subjected to ongoing harassment and threats in Azerbaijan. Several bloggers have also been targeted for intimidation.
"We urge the authorities to investigate expeditiously such cases, as well as the satellite broadcasting problems encountered by RFE/RL and other Azerbaijani language media," he underscored.
Local and international media rights groups accuse Ilham Aliyev government, in power since 2003, of curbing dissent and freedom of speech in the country, a claim that the Azeri government denies. -0-
Politics
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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.
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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.
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By the order of the head of state, Vusal Aslanov has been appointed Chairman of the Baku Metro CJSC.
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Ilhamiz Guliyev, an activist convicted on drug-related charges, has complained about the poor conditions at the Penitentiary Complex in Umbaki, his relatives reported to the Turan news agency.
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