US lawmakers asked Secretary of State to press Azerbaijan to release political prisoners
US lawmakers asked Secretary of State to press Azerbaijan to release political prisoners
Nearly 60 US lawmakers on Thursday asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to press Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev to uphold human rights protections and release political prisoners ahead of the COP29 climate summit that will be held in its capital Baku next month.
The lawmakers, which include 10 senators and 48 representatives, urged Blinken to force Azerbaijan to take "tangible measures" to free political prisoners and condemn provocative statements against adversary Armenia, which "run the risk of undermining peace negotiations" after it retook full control of the disputed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The COP29 Azerbaijani presidency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"We urge the State Department to press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29," the letter said.
At last year's COP28 climate summit in Dubai, Azerbaijan announced it would host the next round of UN negotiations after it reached an agreement with Armenia that assured it would not face the threat of an Armenian veto, prompting criticism by human rights groups and relatives of government critics jailed by the country.
Politics
-
On January 21, as part of his participation in the Davos Economic Forum, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with the President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog.
-
On January 21, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz within the framework of the Davos Economic Forum.
-
On January 21, the Baku Serious Crimes Court continued the trial of the Abzas Media case. The court heard testimony from the director of the publication, Ulvi Hasanly, who rejected the charges against him. Hasanly stated that Abzas Media was engaged in investigations into corruption at the highest levels of government, covering societal issues, and defending citizens' rights. He believes that these activities provoked the authorities' anger towards the journalists.
-
It seems that the Kremlin's hopes that Donald Trump's return to power in the U.S. would be beneficial for Russia have not come to fruition. Upon returning to the White House, Donald Trump stated that he plans to meet with Putin soon. However, he also declared that Putin is "destroying Russia" by refusing to make peace and end the war in Ukraine.
Leave a review