“We are deeply troubled that Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has remained in detention since the eve of International Human Rights Day, last December, and that he continues to face charges widely understood as politically motivated,” State Department’s spokesperson Ned Price said Saturday morning in a statement, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports.
Mr. Hajiyev, who is on a hunger strike, is suffering from a severe deterioration in his health and risks going into a coma, according to an independent physician, Price noted.
“The United States calls for Mr. Hajiyev’s expeditious release and for the release of all persons incarcerated for exercising their fundamental freedoms,” reads the statement.
He went on to add, “The United States is strongly committed to advancing respect for human rights, supporting human rights defenders, and holding accountable those who commit human rights abuses. We encourage all steps toward systemic reforms, especially those regarding the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in Azerbaijan and around the world.”
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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On November 4, the Sabail District Court of Baku considered the motion to transfer Talysh researcher Igbal Abilor to house arrest.
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The Musavat Party considers the arrests and persecution of innocent people unacceptable and demands the release of all political prisoners ahead of COP29. This was stated in a statement issued by the party on November 4.
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Afgan Sadigov, the head of the Azerbaijani website Azel TV, has been on a hunger strike for 45 days while imprisoned in Georgia. Today, his wife, Sevinc Sadigova, visited him in the prison hospital. "Afgan is getting worse and worse. He was brought to the meeting in a wheelchair. He is severely emaciated: his blood sugar is low, he has kidney problems, lethargy, dizziness, and nausea. Nevertheless, he continues his hunger strike, demanding the termination of the fabricated criminal case against him, even if it costs him his life," Sadigova said. According to her, Afgan refuses to eat and only drinks 300 grams of water during the day.
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U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday congratulated Maia Sandu on her historic reelection as the President of Moldova, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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