My personal blog, my thoughts.
STEPANAKERT. – Azerbaijani media have begun disseminating apparent falsifications, said Davit Babayan, Head of the Central Information Department of the Office of the President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) and Deputy Head of the President’s Office.
Read more “Azerbaijan media have begun publicizing obvious falsifications”
Analysis of banks tied to the three children of President Ilham Aliyev shows that the trio still hold controlling shares in four banks from which they collected $82 million in profits in 2016. Overall, the Azerbaijan banking sector lost $960 million in 2016.
Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement that the Armenian army allegedly fires the line of contact, to which the Armenian Defense Ministry replied that it will respond to any provocations.
To study the details of the kidnapping of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, Vice-President of the ALDE faction (European Liberal and Democrat Union) Henrik Mortensen has arrived in Tbilisi.
He met with representatives of Georgian parties – “Free Democrats”, and later with the “Republicans”.
Read more “EU Parliament Representative Investigating Mukhtarli Case in Tbilisi”
Authorities in Azerbaijan and Georgia are facing mounting criticism for their possible role in the apparent kidnapping of Afgan Mukhtarli, the Azerbaijani journalist who disappeared from Tbilisi on May 29 and was next seen two days later being led into a Baku courtroom.
Mukhtarli has been charged with illegal border crossing, disorderly conduct, and currency violations. Police claim he did not have his passport when he was arrested and that he was carrying an undeclared €10,000 (about US$ 11,200). The court sentenced him to 90 days’ pre-trial detention.
Leyla Mustafayeva, Mukhtarli’s wife, told police that her husband had called to tell her he was on his way home after meeting with friends when he disappeared. She said he had no passport and no more than a few Georgian lari (about US$ 2) on him at the time.
Read more “Missing Journalist Sparks Protests, Conflicting Stories”
As Meydan.tv reports : Yunusov Family Safe From Interpol Extradition to Azerbaijan
Interpol will not arrest and deport Leyla Yunusova and her husband, Arif Yunusov, to Azerbaijan, Yunusov wrote on his Facebook page.
“The Azerbaijani authorities’ request for our arrest and forced deportation will be rejected. Thus, the question of our compulsory return with the help of Interpol is closed. But we are not going to finish our fight with this”, the Facebook statement reads.
Read more “Yunusov Family Safe From Interpol Extradition to Azerbaijan”
The Baku Court of Appeals has dismissed the appeal of investigative journalist Afghan Mukhtarli who has been arrested on 3-month, pretrial detention, APA reports.
The journalist has been accused of illegally crossing the state border (Article 318.1 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code), smuggling contraband (206.1) and resisting the command of a customs’ officer (315.2).
Read more “Appeal of Afgan Mukhtarli Dismissed by Baku Court”
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has begun an investigation into the case of the death of writer-publicist Rafiq Taghiyev.
The complaint was forwarded to the ECHR by the deceased’s wife, Maya Tagiyeva. The application raises questions about violations of rights under Articles 2 (the right to life, in particular, state measures to protect these rights), 10 (freedom of expression) and 13 (the right to effective remedies) of the European Convention.
Read more “ECHR Begins Investigation into Death of Writer Rafiq Tagi”
Journalist Nijat Amiraslanov has been subject to torture at Qazakh District Police Station.
His lawyer Elchin Sadiqov told Meydan TV that all of his teeth have been removed from his mouth.
Ganja Court of Appeal held a scheduled hearing yesterday on annulling Amiraslanov’s 30-day prison sentence. However, Sadiqov claims that Amiraslanov was coerced into lodging an admission of guilt.
Read more “Journalist Tortured in Detention, Teeth Forcibly Removed”
Because of political pressure and the worsening economic situation in Azerbaijan, ever more people are striving to move abroad. It appears that an illegal business for sending refugees – both real and fake – to Europe is developing in Azerbaijan alongside the growth in the number of émigrés.
“The migration mafia”
Read more “Running into a Trap: the Emigration Mafia of Azerbaijan”