Washington will continue to monitor developments in the targeting of Turan News Agency, and other media outlets by government authorities in Azerbaijan, Mehman Aliyev, Turan's founder and director, was told by top American officials and leaders of media rights watchdogs, during his visit to the U.S. capitol this week.
Turan's operations were briefly suspended in September 2017, after its director was detained in Baku on August 24 on trumped-up charges of tax evasion and abuse of power.
Aliyev, who was released from prison on September 11, discussed his struggle for freedom, as well as the current state of play and media crackdown in Azerbaijan during his meetings at various state agencies, such as Department of State, Congress etc.
"Pleased to see that [Mehman] was released from dubious arrest and allowed to continue his important work... I hope the same will be done for others detained for political reasons," Senator Dick Durbin tweeted on Thursday after meeting with Mehman Aliyev.
In his discussions with U.S. officials, Aliyev also expressed his personal gratitude to powerful voices in Washington who have pushed for his release.
In their turn, diplomats and activists reiterated their calls for the Azerbaijani regime to build on this momentum to end all restrictions on independent media.
A.Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
-
On January 14, the European Court of Human Rights announced a new ruling on cases from Azerbaijan related to violations of citizens' property rights. In particular, a verdict was issued in the case "Ismail Bagvanov and Others v. Azerbaijan." This case involved complaints from 14 individuals who alleged that their homes were demolished during the construction of the so-called "Winter Park" in Baku. The applicants claimed violations of their property rights and their right to a fair trial.
-
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday in a farewell foreign policy address mocked Russia's Vladimir Putin over the progress of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “When Putin invaded, he thought he’d conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. The truth is, since that war began I’m the only one that stood in the center of Kyiv, not him,” Biden said at the State Department. TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The United States was deeply disappointed in the recent judgement against Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. We continue to urge Azerbaijan to adhere to its international obligations and commitments and to release those unjustly detained.
-
Baku Court for Serious Crimes on 14 January completed the trial of Afiaddin Mammadov, head of the alternative trade union confederation ‘Workers’ Platform’. The court sentenced him to 8 years of imprisonment.
Rəy yaz