Unacceptable:' State Department Reacts To Arrest Of Yet Another Journalist In Azerbaijan

The United States on Wednesday reiterated its call on the Azerbaijani government to respect the rights and freedoms of all, "including those exercising freedom of expression," as the State Department put it in response to the inquiry about the arrest of yet another journalist in Azerbaijan, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

Shamo Eminov, a contributor to the YouTube channel Kanal 13, was detained on December 22, and was placed in pre-trial detention for 3 months and 5 days. He is the third arrested employee of the same outlet in the past month.

In response to TURAN's inquiry for reaction to the latest arrest, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday:  "The recent trend of detaining journalists, civil society activists, and opposition figures in Azerbaijan is deeply troubling. Over a dozen such figures have been detained in just the last month. This is unacceptable."

"We continue to urge the Azerbaijani government to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, including those exercising freedom of expression," a State Department spokesperson concluded.
 

The recent arbitrary detentions of journalists Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifqizi, Mahammad Kekalov, Aziz Orujov, Rufat Muradli, Nargiz Absalamova, Teymur Kerimov, Ibrahim Humbatov as well as Hafiz Babaly have raised concerns among media community and international organizations about the narrowing space for independent journalism and limitations to freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.

Alex Raufoglu