U.S. to apply sanctions on Azerbaijan unless human rights situation changedJuly 5, 2016 - 13:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Head of the Helsinki Commission of the U.S. Congress Chris Smith on Monday, July 4 said that if repressions in Azerbaijan didn’t stop, sanctions against the country would inevitably be applied, Contact.az reports. At an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly hearing in Tbilisi, the situation of human rights in Azerbaijan was discussed, followed with a speech by Smith, who is the author of the bill act of democracy in Azerbaijan providing for sanctions against high-ranking officials involved in human rights violations. "Twice in 2013 and 2014 with a group of congressmen and senators I met with [Azeri President Ilham] Aliyev in Baku. We, of course, talked about fundamental human rights, freedom of the press and of speech," said Smith. He praised the release of some of the political prisoners, noting, however, that the practice of arbitrary arrest with violence hadn’t stopped in the country. Smith also rejected the accusations of official Baku that his bill was influenced by the Armenian lobby. The act of democracy in Azerbaijan is similar to the same act adopted previously in relation to Belarus and its President Lukashenko. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |