  OSCE media freedom representative condemns attack on journalist in Azerbaijan  March 29, 2011 - 12:06 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, condemned a recent attack on a newspaperman in Azerbaijan and called upon the government to take urgent action to curtail violence against journalists. “Azerbaijan’s authorities must take pro-active measures to prevent violence against the media,” Mijatović said. “Ensuring a safe and free environment for journalists is a key OSCE commitment and I must regretfully state that the government of Azerbaijan has so far failed to meet this requirement.” On the night of March 26, six masked individuals abducted Seymur Haziyev, a reporter with the independent Azadliq newspaper, in a village near Baku. They reportedly put a sack on his head, beat him up and threatened him with worse violence if he continued to write critically about the government policies. One of Azerbaijan’s main printed media outlets, Azadliq has been the target of repeated attacks and other forms of intimidation in the past, including imprisonment of staffers and contributors. Haziyev himself has been threatened and physically assaulted several times in recent years. “This new attack on an independent media outlet is inadmissible and the Azerbaijani authorities must condemn it publicly. They must also do their utmost so that the perpetrators and masterminds of this and previous cases of violence against journalists – including the 2005 murder of a newspaper editor Elmar Huseynov - are brought to justice,” Mijatović stressed, according to the OSCE website.   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 |  Latest news Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia  Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for childrenMoscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said.Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19.Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |
