James S. Gilmore.
Baku/04.08.20/Turan: On July 30, US Ambassador to the OSCE James Gilmore, in his message to the OSCE Permanent Council, touched upon the facts of repression against the opposition in Azerbaijan and a number of other countries.
Freedom of expression is under attack in some OSCE countries, and “fake news” laws are being used to suppress civil society representatives, the opposition and anyone who wants to speak out on public issues, he said.
“The Azerbaijani authorities have detained journalists, opposition figures and activists, including those who criticized the government's response to CoViD-19. The Azerbaijani authorities are also trying to intimidate and punish those who demand more transparency from the government or simply exercise their right to freedom of expression.
For example, this week Azerbaijani NGOs reported that the authorities began a new wave of arrests of members of the political opposition and others, accusing them of attempting a coup d'etat or violating the quarantine regime,” Gilmore said.
According to NGOs, there are more than 100 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, including opposition activists Tofig Yagublu and Saleh Rustamov, who have health problems, which makes them especially vulnerable to CoViD-19, Gilmore said. -02D-
Politics
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On January 6, speaking at a conference of ambassadors, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia had changed its allied relations with Armenia and supported Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Russia, having suddenly changed its foreign policy, supported Azerbaijan because for the first time Armenia had a decisive prime minister who did not give in," he noted.
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On January 6, the mother of Rufat Safarov, the detained human rights defender, was summoned to testify as a witness at the Main Police Directorate of Baku. However, she refused to give any testimony. She shared this information with Turan News Agency.
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A total of 16,174 candidates have registered for the upcoming municipal elections on January 25. This information was shared today during a meeting of the Central Election Commission (CEC) by its Chairman, Mazahir Panahov. According to Panahov, 8,429 candidates represent 23 political parties. He also mentioned that today marks the beginning of the election campaign period, which will end 24 hours before voting starts, at 08:00 on January 28.
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President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, extended heartfelt congratulations to the Orthodox Christian community of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Christmas, emphasizing the country’s unwavering commitment to multicultural harmony and religious tolerance.
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