The head of the US Helsinki Commission, Christopher Smith and the Commission member Roger Wicker welcomed the release of the journalist Khadija Ismayilova from prison.
"We urge the authorities to drop all charges against Ismayilova and restore the Baku bureau of Radio Liberty.
The case of Khadija is not the first use of the judicial system to suppress independent voices in Azerbaijan.
Until now, other people convicted of requirements to ensure the rule of law and norms of democracy as Ilgar Mammadov are still detained.
We welcome their courage and call on the authorities again to fulfill their obligations to the OSCE, to put an end to repression against journalists, civil society activists and religious minorities," their statement said.
Release of Ismayilova was also welcomed by the Director of the US Broadcasting Council (BBG) John Lansing, who called on to drop all the charges against the journalist and restore the Baku bureau of Radio Liberty and to stop the criminal case against employees of the radio.
Another member of the Helsinki Commission, Senator Ben Cardin in an interview with the Voice of America said the arrest of Khadija originally was unfair and called to remove all the charges against her.
"I am proud of the role played by our Senate, as well as other independent groups, in her release. All of this suggests that the overall efforts yielded results," said Cardin.
At the same time, he made it clear that the application of the Global Magnitsky law against the authorities of Azerbaijan is not excluded.
"This law is designed to have an impact on those who have violated human rights in their countries. If this happens, the international sanctions will be applied: we will not let them into our country and will not allow the use of our banking system," he said.
Another well-known Congressman, Dana Rohrabacher welcomed the release of Ismayilova and congratulated her on her birthday.
The well-known presenter of CNN TV Christiane Amanpour also joined the congratulations. -16D-
Politics
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The Russian side must apologize for the air defense attack on the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft, said Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabeyov.
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Azerbaijani government sources have exclusively confirmed to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau on Wednesday.
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CrashThe Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has expressed his condolences and deep sadness over the tragic Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan with many fatalities.
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The crash of our plane in Aktau raises several questions that demand answers: 1. Many of the victims of this tragedy were people who previously traveled to the North Caucasus by train or car. These victims might not have existed if Azerbaijan hadn’t kept its land borders closed for several years.
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