Ned Price
Washington D.C./28.02.23/Turan: The United States has raised concerns with Azerbaijan over the case of jailed activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, the State Department said on Monday
"This is a case, again, that we’ve engaged directly with our Azerbaijani partners on," State Department spokesman Ned Price told TURAN's Washington correspondent during a daily press briefing.
He went on to add, "Around the world, we speak up for what are universal rights... – the right to freedom of expression is a universal right. It does not apply to people in only certain countries and a certain block of countries. These are rights and this is a principle that applies to people around the world. And anytime we see a universal right come under threat, whether systematically or in specific cases, we don’t hesitate to raise those concerns."
As for Azerbaijan, Price said, "we have raised these concerns publicly, as we’ve discussed in this briefing room, but we’ve also raised them privately with our Azerbaijani partners."
Hajiyev, who was arrested on Dec 9 for alleged “hooliganism” and “disrespect for court”, has been on a hunger strike for over 50 days and his health is reportedly in critical condition. Many, including even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated.
Alex Raufoglu
Politics
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The short film “Fragments”, by Iqbal Abilov, a Talysh researcher arrested in Azerbaijan, was shown on November 14 at the Madrid Indie Film Festival (MADRIFF) in the capital of Spain. The film was presented by the author's cousin, renowned stand-up comedian Idrak Mirzali-zadeh, who read a letter from Abilov to the festival participants. In the message, Abilov expressed gratitude to everyone who helped make the project possible. He also thanked those who continue to support him during his arrest due to his scientific and public activities. "I hope that justice will prevail soon, my innocence will be proven, and once I am released, I will come to Madrid and watch all the films at the festival," Abilov stated.
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On November 15, a telephone conversation took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke and the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Kremlin's press service reported. The two leaders discussed the "practical implementation of a number of mutually beneficial projects in the fields of industrial cooperation and transportation." The mutual interest in further comprehensive development of Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership and alliance was confirmed. It was agreed to continue contacts at various levels, according to the statement.
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Eco-activists from different countries held another action on the territory of the COP29 climate conference in Baku on Friday.
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On 15 November, a group of activists held a protest at the COP29 climate conference against the environmental pollution in Africa and the destruction of the continent's ecology by large companies. The activists also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that a part of the revenues from mining is not channelled into the restoration of nature's damage.
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