"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
-
On Wednesday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov received the head of the Election Observation Mission of the OSCE Bureau of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Ditmir Bushati.
-
The preliminary investigation of the criminal case against ex-deputy of the Azerbaijani Parliament Huseyn Abdullayev has been completed. The case was opened on the basis of appeals received from foreign authorities about the legalization of large amounts of money by Abdullayev and others in a number of European countries, the message of the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan.
-
"Prisoners are crucified, beaten and hung on bars in the corridors," writes the director of the “Abzas Media” publication Ulvi Hasanli on what he saw in the Kurdakhany pre-trial detention center for 6 months.
-
European Council President Charles Michel is stepping up efforts to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan amid rising tensions in the region. According to the American edition of “Politico”, Charles Michel held bilateral meetings with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan during the European Political Community in London on July 18.
Leave a review