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- 25 August 2017, 23:14
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Azerbaijan: Charges against Journalist, News Agency Silence Independent Media
Washington
August 25, 2017
In response to a court in Baku sentencing one of Azerbaijan"s most prominent independent journalists, Mehman Aliyev, to three months pre-trial detention before being tried for alleged "abuse of power" and on other charges, Freedom House issued the following statement:
"The charges against Mehman Aliyev and now his pre-trial detention are part of Azerbaijan"s effort to silence independent journalism and all critical voices," said Marc Behrendt, director of Eurasia programs at Freedom House. "Mehman Aliyev directs the Turan news agency, the country"s last remaining independent news agency, which has announced it has no choice but to close as of September 1. The government targeted the news agency by filling unfounded charges of financial irregularities, which has led to a freeze on the agency"s bank accounts. The government"s actions against Turan and its leading journalist are grave attacks against press freedom."
Azerbaijan is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2017, Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2017, Partly Free in Freedom on the Net 2016, and receives a democracy score of 6.93 on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 as the worst possible score, in Nations in Transit 2017.
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.
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- Social
- 25 August 2017 23:38
Want to say
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I welcome respected media representatives, professional and honest journalists from places of detention. July 22 is an important day for journalists, mass media and teachers of Azerbaijan. 149 years ago, Hassan Bey Zardabi, the great educator, the most valuable thinker, the founder of our journalism, lit the first light for society to come out of darkness, giving humanity the newspaper “AKINCI.”
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The past day has not clarified the question of why the meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan in London on July18 broke down. The announcement of the upcoming meeting was made a week ago from Armenian sources, and Baku was silent about the upcoming meeting.
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I stand firmly in support of President Ilham Aliyev's vision for Azerbaijan's future.
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As Azerbaijan commemorates the 106th anniversary of its republic, Alasgar Mammadli, a prominent intellectual and lawyer, sends a poignant holiday greeting from the isolation ward of Kurdakhani Detention Center:
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