Ned Price
The U.S. State Department reiterated its call for the release of the jailed human rights activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev after a Baku court on Tuesday rejected his appeal to serve out his pre-trial detention at home, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"You heard from us last week... just how troubled we are and we were affected by the arrest and the detention of Mr. Hajiyev on the eve of Human Rights Day," Spokesperson Ned Price told a daily press briefing.
"We’ve urged Azerbaijan authorities to release him expeditiously," he added.
Asked by TURAN whether Hajiyev's case has been raised with Baku officials, Price said, "these are conversations that we are in a position to have privately through diplomatic channels with our partners."
He went on to add, "We don’t hesitate to raise human rights broadly, systemically, but also individual cases with our partners around the world. And that, of course, includes our partners in Azerbaijan."
Hajiyev, a U.S.-educated prominent human rights defender, was detained on December 9 and sentenced to 50 days of pre-trial detention on charges of “hooliganism” and “disrespect for court.” His arrest came amid a recent crackdown on opposition party functionaries and activists by the Azerbainani government.
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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On 23 November at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, eco-activists from different countries held a protest action against the failure of countries to agree on climate finance.
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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