IRFS Calls for Immediate Release of MehmanHuseynov

Baku/26.07.18/Turan: The Institute for Reporters" Freedom and Safety (IRFS) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of their chairman, anti-corruption blogger MehmanHuseynov, and let him to visit his mother FirangizHuseynova, who is on life support, in critical health in a Baku hospital, reads the statement of the IRFS.

Despite the appeal to the Azerbaijani authorities, by his lawyers and by MehmanHuseynov himself, to provide an opportunity to visit his 71-year-old mother who has been in the hospital on life support machines for more than 10 days now, the Azerbaijani authorities, to this day, refuse to release the journalist.

Refusing to even temporarily release MehmanHuseynov, who has been in prison since 3 March 2017 on a two-year sentence, the Azerbaijani authorities are deliberately intimidating their opponents and the Azerbaijani society as a whole, demonstratively showing that they do not intend to deviate from the path of repression.

The IRFS called on the European Union, the United States and Canada to begin applying sanctions against the high-ranking members of the government and the members of their families because of the violation of human rights.

The IRFS demands that the authorities of Azerbaijan stop the persecution of their critics and their families, and the immediate and unconditional release from prison of journalists MehmanHuseynov, Afgan Mukhtarly,SeymurHezi, NijatAliyev, ArazGuliyev, FikratIbishbeyli, ElchinIsmayilli, ZiyaAsadli and Arshad Ibragimov, bloggers Rashad Ramazanov and IlkinRustamzade, the graffiti activists GiyasIbrahimov and BayramMammadov, as well as the satirical poet TofigHasanov. -06D--