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Ten journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan since late
November, with two detained in January, pat of what critics say
is a crackdown on independent media ahead of a presidential
election.
The authorities say the journalists - who have been arrested on
charges ranging from smuggling to petty hooliganism - have real
cases to answer. One, JAM News political observer Shahin Ryazev,
was released on Tuesday.
EU ambassador Peter Michalko said in a statement posted on X on
Tuesday:
"I was appalled by the reports of denigrating treatment of some
of the journalists recently arrested in Azerbaijan, particularly
young women, handcuffed in courtroom, put in glass cages or not
allowed basic human needs.
Everybody has the right to be treated with dignity & respect."
Aykhan Hajizada, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry, hit back on Wednesday, describing the EU envoy's
assertions as "both groundless and irresponsible."
It would be better if (the) Ambassador would concentrate on
(the) lack of justice and mistreatment in the court systems of
certain EU countries," Hajizada wrote on X.
"Interference in the judiciary of Azerbaijan, that was built on
best international practices, is unacceptable."
Azerbaijan, a major oil and gas producer, has stepped in to
provide Europe with alternatives to Russian energy imports since
the start of the war in Ukraine.
Relations between Azerbaijan and some EU member states have
suffered since September, when Baku retook the breakaway region
of Nagorno-Karabakh by force, prompting a mass exodus of the
territory's ethnic Armenian population.
Azerbaijan is holding early presidential elections next month,
with incumbent Ilham Aliyev widely expected to win.
(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova in Baku; writing by Felix Light in
Tbilisi; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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