Azerbaijani Journalists and Learning Cyber-Security Tips
Region: AzerbaijanIWPR shares its Middle Eastern best practice in digital security with Azerbaijani colleagues. By IWPR team in Georgia - Caucasus Journalists and bloggers from Azerbaijan say they picked up valuable digital security skills at an IWPR training workshop held in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The nine participants in the April 17-19 course c... more
Views: 463Azeri Muslims Protest Arrest of Anti- Government Theologian
Region: AzerbaijanAuthorities’ attempt to portray Islamists as threat could drive them to team up with wider opposition. By Idrak Abbasov The arrest of an Muslim theologian who preached against the government in Azerbaijan has sparked a new show of opposition in which representatives of secular parties have sided with Islamists. Police arrested Taleh Bagirzadeh, 29, on March 31 and ch... more
Views: 574Protests Against Army Deaths in Azerbaijanis
Region: AzerbaijanOfficials dismiss public expressions of anger as plot by agents provocateurs. By Seymur Kazimov, Police in Azerbaijan used water cannons and stun grenades to disperse people protesting against conscript deaths in the army. Estimates of numbers at the March 10 demonstration vary, with some media outlets putting the figure at 3,000. The water cannons struck journalists and bystanders as ... more
Views: 532Libel Suits Target Azerbaijan's Anti-Government Media Outlets
Region: AzerbaijanRenewed pressure comes ahead of key election. By Seymur Kazimov Rights activists and journalists in Azerbaijan warn that a media crackdown is already under way as the authorities prepare for a presidential election later this year. The pressure is being applied indirectly. Last year it was unpaid utility and print bills – see Azeri Opposition ... more
Views: 568Clinton Visits Baku, Yerevan As Frontline Clashes Persist
Region: AzerbaijanEach side blames the other for spate of cross-border shooting incidents. By Jasur Sumerenli, Naira Melkumyan Clashes along the front lines separating Armenian and Azerbaijani forces last week resulted in deaths on both sides, but that does not mean the Nagorny Karabakh conflict is in danger of reigniting after a two-decade-long truce, exp... more
Views: 1135When Euro-Songs Fade, Azeri Dissidents Fear Hard Times
Region: AzerbaijanCampaigners who used Eurovision to highlight rights concerns now expect to pay price for speaking out. By Shahla Sultanova As Azerbaijan prepares for the Eurovision Song Contest finale on May 26, local human rights groups are warning that once international media interest wanes, the government will launch a crackdown to punish those who used the event to criticise its reco... more
Views: 1068Award-Winning Azeri Reporter Badly Injured in Attack
Region: AzerbaijanIdrak Abbasov placed in intensive care after assault while filming house demolition. By Samira Ahmedbeyli An award-winning Azerbaijani journalist is in hospital in Baku suffering head injuries when he was severely beaten while filming workers attempting to demolish homes in a long-running land dispute. The April 18 attack on Idrak Abbasov came just three weeks after he received a prestigious awa... more
Views: 829Armenia-Azerbaijan: Learning to Give "Enemies" a Human Face
Region: AzerbaijanArmenian reporter describes evolution from blanket hostility to realisation that Azeris are people, not monsters. By Hayhuki Barseghyan When I saw a Facebook message saying that IWPR Armenia was seeking a journalist to write an article in partnership with an Azerbaijani reporter about the way history is taught in the two countries, I wondered whether such a collaboration was possible at all. ... more
Views: 1176Karabakh Aims for the Sky
Region: AzerbaijanAzerbaijani officials insist Armenian-held entity must not reopen airport, and suggest passenger planes flying on “illegal” route might be shot down. By Sara Khojoyan The airport in Nagorny Karabakh is due to open in May or June this year, for the first time since the conflict two decades ago. Azerbaijan remains so adamantly opposed to the idea that it has threatened to shoot down any p... more
Views: 1427Eviction Highlights Azeri Refugees' Plight
Region: AzerbaijanThousands of displaced people in western city live in poor conditions with uncertain prospects. By Ulvi Telmansoy Nearly two decades after they were displaced by the war over Nagorny Karabakh, Azerbaijani refugees living in the country’s second city Ganja face housing difficulties and an uncertain future. The conflict ended in 1994 with Armenian forces in control of Karabakh and surrounding areas but ... more
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