BAKU (Reuters) – According to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, the European Union’s ambassador to Azerbaijan has been accused of meddling in the country’s judicial system. This statement came in response to the ambassador saying he was “appalled” by the treatment of jailed journalists in the country.
Since late November, ten journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan, with two more detained in January. Critics argue that this is a crackdown on independent media ahead of an upcoming presidential election. The authorities have justified these arrests by claiming that the journalists are facing real charges, such as smuggling and petty hooliganism. However, one of the journalists, Shahin Ryazev, was released on Tuesday.
In a statement posted on X, EU ambassador Peter Michalko expressed his dismay at the treatment of the arrested journalists, particularly mentioning the handcuffing of young women in courtrooms and the denial of basic human needs. He emphasized that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
On Wednesday, Aykhan Hajizada, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, retaliated by calling the EU envoy’s allegations “both groundless and irresponsible.” He suggested that the ambassador focus on the lack of justice and mistreatment in the court systems of certain EU countries, and labeled interference in Azerbaijan’s judiciary, which is built on best international practices, as unacceptable.
Azerbaijan, a significant oil and gas producer, has been providing Europe with alternatives to Russian energy imports since the conflict in Ukraine began. Relations between Azerbaijan and some EU member states have been strained since September, when Baku forcibly retook the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to a mass exodus of the territory’s ethnic Armenian population.
The upcoming early presidential elections in Azerbaijan, which will be held next month, are expected to see incumbent Ilham Aliyev win another term.
(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova in Baku; writing by Felix Light in Tbilisi; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
