"We are deeply concerned about violence, including allegations of assault, and other pressure against citizens who exercise their constitutional rights in Azerbaijan," a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday in response to TURAN's request for comment on the recent assault against a leading Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.
"We urge authorities to investigate all such incidents, including those recently reported by Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, and hold those responsible accountable," a spokesperson added.
The United States "remains strongly committed" to advancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. "And we, again, urge the government to respect their citizens’ rights, including the right to express views peacefully," a State Department spokesperson noted.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev reported on Monday that the Organized Crime Unit officers snatched him from a street in Baku, held for 6 hours, and freed after deleting his Facebook posts critical of the Interior Minister.
In April 2022, he was also detained, beaten, and interrogated about online posts.
Yesterday, Mr. Hajiyev officially applied for revocation of his Azerbaijani citizenship.
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will hold talks in Moscow on January 17 and make statements for the press, according to the Kremlin's press service.
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On January 13, the trial in the case of public activist Nijat Ibrahim continued in the Baku Serious Crimes Court under the chairmanship of Judge Aygun Gurbanova. The trial was suspended after Ibrahim, in protest against the illegal arrest, began banging his head against the "aquarium cage", trying to commit suicide. At the beginning of the trial, he stated that he had been illegally detained for 4 months, and because of this, his family in Moldova was in a difficult situation, Turan announced this on its Twitter.
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The International Committee of Concerned Scholars (ICS) has appealed to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, requesting his assistance in securing the release of the arrested researcher, Igbal Abilov. The ICS expressed concern that Abilov's arrest "may be related to his research on ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan, conducted in collaboration with scholars from Armenia."
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Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Botchorishvili, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Georgia, Faig Guliyev.
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