2023-12-28 23:43:10
On December 27, the United States called on the government of Azerbaijan to respect the rights and freedoms of everyone, including those who enjoy freedom of expression.
The representative of the State Department said this in response to Turan Agency’s inquiry about the arrest of another journalist in Azerbaijan, Shamo Eminov.
Shamo Eminov, an employee of “Kanal 13” YouTube TV channel, was arrested on December 22 and sentenced to 3 months and 5 days in prison on charges of smuggling. He is the third employee of the same publication to be arrested in the last month.
In response to Turan’s reporter’s inquiry about the recent arrest of journalists, the spokesperson of the State Department said: “The recent trend of arresting journalists, civil society activists and oppositionists in Azerbaijan is deeply disturbing. More than ten such persons were detained in Azerbaijan last month. This is unacceptable. We continue to call on the government of Azerbaijan to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, including those who enjoy freedom of expression,” the spokesperson of the State Department concluded.
The arrests of journalists Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Muhammad Kekalov, Aziz Orujov, Rufat Muradli, Nargiz Absalamova, Teymur Karimov and Hafiz Babalan in recent days have caused concerns in the media community and international organizations about the narrowing of the space for independent media and freedom of expression in Azerbaijan and the restriction of the activities of journalists. .
Voice of America
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