Azerbaijan rejects 'disgusting' US human rights criticism before COP29
By Nailia Bagirova
BAKU, Oct 4 (Reuters) -Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday rejected what he called a "disgusting" letter from U.S. lawmakers who criticised his country's human rights record and urged it to free political prisoners before it hosts next month's COP29 climate conference.
The letter, signed by nearly 60 lawmakers, urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29".
It said that "provocative" Azerbaijani statements towards Armenia risked undermining peace negotiations between the two countries, which have fought two wars since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Speaking in Jabrayil, a town recaptured from Armenian forces in a 2020 war, Aliyev called the letter "a disgusting appeal that cannot influence our will" and said it had been drawn up "to threaten and accuse us".
Azerbaijan's human rights record, including the detention of journalists and activists, is coming under increasing scrutiny as it prepares to welcome delegates and media from around the world to the November climate conference.
Hikmet Hajiyev, Aliyev's foreign policy adviser, said in a statement to Reuters that Azerbaijan's hosting of the event should not be turned into "a political tool". He accused critics of seeking to deflect attention away from climate action.
Representatives of Ruben Vardanyan, a former Russian investment banker who was a top official in the ethnic Armenian leadership of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, filed lawsuits this week saying he has been tortured, defamed by the media and denied his rights to a speedy trial in Azerbaijan.
Vardanyan has been detained for the past year since Baku's forces staged a lightning offensive to take back Karabakh, an internationally recognised part of Azerbaijan where ethnic Armenians had enjoyed de facto independence since breaking away in the 1990s.
Azerbaijan's prosecutor general said in response to the complaint that all Vardanyan's rights were being respected and he had received a dozen visits from representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"His right to the presumption of innocence was not violated by the prosecutor's office or other state bodies, and he was not subjected to inhuman treatment or torture," the prosecutor's office said in a statement to Reuters.
Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Karabakh, which Baku denies. The two countries have for the last year been in engaged in fitful talks over a peace treaty.
Aliyev on Friday accused Armenia of being insincere about wanting to complete a deal and of rearming for fresh fighting, warning it to "stop these dangerous games!"
Armenia, which this year withdrew from several Azerbaijani border villages it had long controlled, has said in recent weeks that Azerbaijan does not appear interested in signing a treaty.
Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Mark Trevelyan
Últimas notícias
Isenção de Responsabilidade: As entidades do XM Group proporcionam serviço de apenas-execução e acesso à nossa plataforma online de negociação, permitindo a visualização e/ou uso do conteúdo disponível no website ou através deste, o que não se destina a alterar ou a expandir o supracitado. Tal acesso e uso estão sempre sujeitos a: (i) Termos e Condições; (ii) Avisos de Risco; e (iii) Termos de Responsabilidade. Este, é desta forma, fornecido como informação generalizada. Particularmente, por favor esteja ciente que os conteúdos da nossa plataforma online de negociação não constituem solicitação ou oferta para iniciar qualquer transação nos mercados financeiros. Negociar em qualquer mercado financeiro envolve um nível de risco significativo de perda do capital.
Todo o material publicado na nossa plataforma de negociação online tem apenas objetivos educacionais/informativos e não contém — e não deve ser considerado conter — conselhos e recomendações financeiras, de negociação ou fiscalidade de investimentos, registo de preços de negociação, oferta e solicitação de transação em qualquer instrumento financeiro ou promoção financeira não solicitada direcionadas a si.
Qual conteúdo obtido por uma terceira parte, assim como o conteúdo preparado pela XM, tais como, opiniões, pesquisa, análises, preços, outra informação ou links para websites de terceiras partes contidos neste website são prestados "no estado em que se encontram", como um comentário de mercado generalizado e não constitui conselho de investimento. Na medida em que qualquer conteúdo é construído como pesquisa de investimento, deve considerar e aceitar que este não tem como objetivo e nem foi preparado de acordo com os requisitos legais concebidos para promover a independência da pesquisa de investimento, desta forma, deve ser considerado material de marketing sob as leis e regulações relevantes. Por favor, certifique-se que leu e compreendeu a nossa Notificação sobre Pesquisa de Investimento não-independente e o Aviso de Risco, relativos à informação supracitada, os quais podem ser acedidos aqui.
