US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State meets with relatives of arrested activists and journalists

On February 12, the Baku Appeals Court rejected the appeal to transfer journalist Ramin Djebrailzade (Deko) to house arrest, according to his lawyer Nemat Kerimli. The defense considers this decision unjustified, as no investigative actions have been conducted regarding Deko, who was arrested in connection with the Meydan TV case. The journalist denies the charge of currency smuggling. Representatives of the investigating authorities were unavailable for comment.

The "Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan" has published an updated list of political prisoners, which includes 357 names. Compared to the previous list from December 12 last year, the number of political prisoners has increased by 26 individuals. Among them are journalists Farid Ismayilov, Shamshad Agha, Shahnaz Beylergizi, and 13 arrested during the unrest in Imishli, among others.

On February 12, the National Assembly of Armenia approved in the first reading the bill "On the Initiation of the Republic of Armenia's Accession to the European Union." According to Armenian media reports, 63 deputies voted in favor, and 7 voted against. The bill was presented by the civil initiative Evrovote, which collected 60,000 signatures from citizens. On January 9, the bill was approved by the government and sent to the parliament.

On February 11, the third round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates took place in Abu Dhabi. The Azerbaijani side was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev, while the Arab side was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ms. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.