My personal blog, my thoughts.
Amid the ongoing crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Azerbaijani media outlets operating in exile Free Voices Collective, Meydan TV, Toplum TV and Qazetci have launched a postcard campaign titled “Flood them with fans” to support imprisoned journalist Sevinc Vagifgizi.
Read more ““Flood them with fans!” A new support campaign from independent media”
The imprisoned director of AbzasMedia, Ulvi Hasanli, has been included in the list of nominees for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.
Read more “Imprisoned director of AbzasMedia nominated for Václav Havel Human Rights Prize”
The preliminary investigation into the criminal case involving several more political refugees living abroad – Gurban Mammadov, Tural Sadigli, and Orkhan Aghayev – has been completed.
Read more “Political Refugee: “How Can I Organize a Coup in Azerbaijan While Living in Germany?””
The journalist Ulviyya Ali, who was detained on the night of May 7, has been given a detention measure for a period of 1 month and 29 days.
Read more “Ulviyya Ali placed under pre-trial detention”
The trial of seven journalists arrested in connection with the criminal case related to the publication “AbzasMedia” has commenced. The case is being heard at the Baku Serious Crimes Court, chaired by Rasim Sadikhov, with Novruz Karimov and Leyla Asgerova-Mammadova serving as members of the judges’ panel.
Read more ““AbzasMedia” Trial Has Begun”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan (MFA) has contested the recent allegations made by the Committee against Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe, calling them “groundless and unfair.”
Read more “Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry disputes Council of Europe torture allegations”
In recent years, there have been no profound changes in the context of the media environment and the situation of journalists in Azerbaijan. The situation, the environment was already bad, and it remains so.
Read more “New PACE rapporteur for Azerbaijan: “Bad legislation, practice should be changed””
В Азербайджане выдвижение новых обвинений в отношении политзаключенных, срок ареста которых вот-вот завершится, и продление тюремного заключения уже превратилось в тенденцию, считают представители общественности. Особенно резонансным стал случай с находящимся под арестом молодым блогером Мехманом Гусейновым, но это далеко не единственный подобный случай. Мейдан ТВ вспоминает, скольким политзаключенным за последние годы были продлены сроки ареста на основе новых обвинений.
19 января в Баку запланирован митинг оппозиционных сил в знак поддержки блогера Мехмана Гусейнова, против которого были выдвинуты новые обвинения за пару месяцев до истечения срока заключения, и других политзаключенных. Митинг согласован с бакинской мэрией.
Read more “Новая форма давления на политзаключенных”
Mehman Huseynov, who was imprisoned in 2017 after posting incriminating photographs of properties he claimed were owned by government officials, was set to be released in March of 2019. However, new charges have been brought against him which carry a five to seven year prison sentence if found guilty.
The former deputy of the Milli Majlis, the former head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Azerbaijan Republic, Eldar Sabiroglu, published his Facebook status on his son’s page. He told how his son is being tortured in custody. His son Rufat Safarov has been deprived of his freedom for the third year. At the end of 2015, the investigator of the Zardab district prosecutor’s office, R.Safarov, made a bold and sensational statement about corruption and lawlessness in law enforcement, then resigned and was soon arrested, of course. The authorities do not forgive such statements.
Read more “Boomerang law. After all, life does not end tomorrow”