A group of scientists from the Chinese University of Geosciences in Wuhan found that Mount Everest continues to grow to this day, Azernews reports.
Month: October 2024
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called on the Anti-Corruption Bureau to reverse its decision to declare Transparency International Georgia as an organization with “declared election objectives,” a day after the watchdog announced it couldn’t observe October elections under its name.
The Prime Minister said such legal status for CSOs will only serve as an incentive for “external manipulation,” adding that TI Georgia’s stated electoral goal and “radical and polarizing political agenda” has long been known and was already enough “for the public to draw the appropriate conclusions.”
Prime Minister Kobakhidze emphasized that the fact that TI Georgia has “declared electoral objectives” and “openly conducts a canvassing-propaganda campaign against the ruling party” is clear to any “objective observer.” According to Kobakhidze, the decision of the Bureau is “legally completely correct”, “justified with the highest standard of infallibility” and “fully in line” with the Law on Citizens’ Political Association, which he said is why the Court decided to rule in favor of this decision.
However, citing the interest of the state and the need to avoid external interference in the electoral process by foreign actors, “the first signs of which have already appeared,” he said he believes it would be correct to withdraw this status from TI Georgia and any other organization listed by the anti-corruption agency, although TI Georgia was the only one to announce disobedience to the Bureau’s decision.
The Prime Minister went on to explain why it is clear to Georgian society that the organization has been pursuing a “politically radical and manipulative” agenda for several years, citing examples such as the error of CSOs in the parallel counting of votes during the 2020 elections, as well as the calls by these organizations for government resignation and the creation of a “technical government” in 2022. Kobakhidze also mentioned that the watchdog’s mission now is to return the former United National Movement government to power.
TI Georgia “does not need to be granted any legal status for the Georgian society to draw appropriate conclusions and exercise caution,” stressed the Prime Minister.
Kobakhidze further stated that in addition to TI Georgia, there are many other local monitoring organizations registered in the CEC database, of which almost all financially larger organizations would have to be classified as organizations with electoral objectives if the Anti-Corruption Bureau acted “with a purely legal approach,” which in turn “can be used even more actively for external manipulation.”
The Prime Minister once again called on the Bureau to use its discretion and reconsider its decision on TI Georgia, as well as refrain from any such decisions in connection to other entities before the parliamentary elections.
“It is true that the organizations working with foreign funds and conducting electoral canvassing-propaganda grossly violate the provisions of the Constitution of Georgia, the principle of state sovereignty and the principles of democratic elections, but due to the damaged reputation of Transparency International Georgia and other relevant organizations in society, this violation, from a practical point of view, will not influence the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections,” the Prime Minister concluded.
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The trial of Tofig Yagublu, a prominent opposition politician in Azerbaijan, resumed on September 27 at the Baku Court of Serious Crimes, presided over by Judge Elnur Nuriyev.
Yagublu, a member of the National Council and the Musavat Party has been in detention for nearly 10 months, facing charges that could result in a lengthy prison sentence.
During this session, the court announced that the interrogation of Yagublu, the alleged victim, and witnesses had concluded. As the proceedings moved towards examining documentary evidence, Yagublu’s defense team sought to delay this next stage. They submitted a motion requesting the court to hear additional witnesses before reviewing the case’s documents. Among those named was Yagublu’s wife, Maya Yagublu, who has spoken publicly about police misconduct in handling evidence related to the case.
The defense argues that Maya Yagublu’s testimony is crucial to clarify how law enforcement allegedly removed money from their home. She has repeatedly claimed that the cash, central to the prosecution’s case, was planted and later seized by the police.
Another key figure the defense wants to call is Huseyn Malikov, who was with Yagublu at the time of the alleged incident. The case materials claim that Yagublu and his co-defendant, Elnur Mammadov (also referred to as Elnur Vaqifoglu), conspired to send an individual to Germany in exchange for money. According to the prosecution, this discussion took place in front of the Narimanov District Court before Mammadov allegedly received the funds in the Zabrat settlement.
Yagublu, however, has vehemently denied these allegations, maintaining that they are politically motivated. He insists that at the time of the alleged transaction, he was attending a meeting of the National Council’s Coordination Center at the home of another potential witness, Vidadi Mirkamal.
In a related development, Mammadov’s defense attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges against his client under articles 178.3.2 (fraud causing significant damage) and 320 (use of forged documents) of the Criminal Code, which carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years.
When given the floor to comment on Mammadov’s case, Yagublu made a politically charged statement, denouncing the country’s leadership. He described what he called “the biggest fraud” as the appointment of Ilham Aliyev as Prime Minister in 2003, linking it to his own prosecution. The judge swiftly interrupted Yagublu, preventing him from continuing his remarks.
The trial has been adjourned until October 18.
Yagublu, a long-time critic of the Azerbaijani government, has faced several legal challenges over the years. He was first imprisoned in 2013, accused of organizing protests in Ismayilli, before being released in 2017 under an amnesty. In 2020, he was again sentenced to over four years in prison following accusations of hooliganism after a car accident. Following a high-profile hunger strike, Yagublu’s sentence was later reduced to house arrest.
The post Defense calls for new witnesses as Tofig Yagublu’s trial progresses appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
