Day: December 2, 2024
- Georgia is being rocked by growing protests. Here’s what you need to know CNN
- Why protests in the country of Georgia matter Vox.com
- Demonstrators again converge on Georgia’s parliament after the country’s EU bid was suspended The Associated Press
- What’s Behind the Protests in the Country of Georgia? The New York Times
- What’s happening in Georgia, and why are thousands protesting? The Washington Post
- Georgia protests: Fireworks fired at police and water cannon sprayed in Tbilisi BBC.com
- Police Force Protesters From Parliament On Sixth Night Of Tbilisi Protests Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
- Georgia protests: What’s behind them and what’s next? Al Jazeera English
- Pro-Putin leader backs harsh crackdown as over 40 people hospitalized amid protests in Georgia Fox News
This week saw journalists from “AbzasMedia” exposing poor conditions and violations at Baku Detention Facility, while Alasgar Mammadli requested house arrest due to health issues, and the date for Azerbaijan’s municipal elections was announced for January 29, 2025.
Conditions and Violations at the Baku Detention Facility Revealed in Open Letter by Journalists
Three journalists from “AbzasMedia” – Sevinc Vaqifqızı, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Qasımova – currently detained in Baku Detention Facility No. 1, have written an open letter exposing the poor conditions there. They describe overcrowding, with women forced to sleep on the floor or share beds, leading to injuries. They also highlight the lack of basic necessities, including proper bedding, clothing, and hygiene products, which are supposed to be provided by the state but are either missing or substandard.
The journalists also point out that the second floor of the facility, which holds 170 women, has several cells being used for non-prison purposes, such as punishment cells or kitchens for guards. Despite regulations requiring detainees to receive appropriate bedding and personal items, the women are only given poor-quality goods. The food provided is also criticized for being insufficient and of low quality.
Finally, the journalists report that detainees are not receiving the clothing and hygiene items mandated by government regulations. Although a contract was signed with a supplier for these products, they are either never delivered or go missing in the facility, raising questions about resource mismanagement and the handling of funds allocated for detainee care.
Alasgar Mammadli Unsuccesfully Requests House Arrest
Alasgar Mammadli, a media expert from “Toplum TV,” has been in detention for nine months and has appealed for house arrest due to serious health issues, including a thyroid tumor requiring urgent surgery. In his court statement, he emphasized the negative impact his detention has on his family, particularly his two children’s education and well-being.
Mammadli argued that house arrest would not interfere with the investigation and that he had legal grounds for the request. He noted his public service record and denied any intention to obstruct the legal process. However, the Baku City Police Department opposed the request, citing the risk of Mammadli fleeing or hindering the investigation. Judge Akhundov rejected the appeal.
Mammadli believes his detention is politically motivated, part of an effort to silence independent media. The case involves accusations of smuggling, with the detainees claiming the evidence against them was fabricated. His lawyers plan to appeal the court’s decision.
Azerbaijan goes to the polls again
Municipal elections in Azerbaijan have been scheduled for January 29, 2025, as announced by the Central Election Commission on November 27.
On October 18, 2024, the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) discussed a draft law to amend the “Law on Municipalities’ Territories and Lands,” reducing the number of municipalities from 1,400 to 685. This change was approved by the Milli Majlis and signed into law by President Ilham Aliyev on November 25.
Azerbaijan has held five municipal elections so far, in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, with the most recent one on December 23, 2019. According to the Election Code, municipal elections are held every five years, typically in December. Some experts view the postponement of the 2025 elections as contrary to the law.
The post Azerbaijan’s Friday Wrap-Up: Parliamentary Election Date Set appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association issued a statement on December 2 saying that according to lawyers from the Legal Aid Network, which unites several human rights watchdogs, most of those arrested on December 2 were severely beaten and subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment. The protests have been ongoing since November 28, following Georgian Dream’s decision to halt accession negotiations with the EU, and against a backdrop of unprecedented police violence.
The statement notes that some of the detainees are currently being held in a medical facility, adding that “they have bruises all over their bodies and facial injuries in the form of broken noses and jaws. All the detainees in the clinic have concussions, multiple bruises and haematomas, and have difficulty moving and speaking.”
The watchdog says that according to the detainees, the police used violence both during and after their arrest. The detainees describe in detail their treatment by the police: “They were mercilessly beaten by at least six members of the Special Branch in a detention minibus. During the beating, the police officers took turns and agreed in advance to break the arms or legs of the detainees. Their superiors instructed them to hit them in the liver and head. While being beaten, the detainees were spat on, cursed and shouted at. The detainees recall the following phrases being thrown at them by police “I’ll stick a baton up your ass”, “Did you like Gvaramia and Khazaradze? [You European, you’re a s***hole, I’ll stick a baton in your back”.
“After a long and continuous beating, the minibus was covered in blood”, the detainees recall. During the beating, one of the people was covered in blood. The torture was supervised by a relatively elderly man who made sure that no one died during the beating. Those who got out of the minibus were led one by one through the so-called riot police corridor before being taken to the patrol car.
According to the detainees’ testimonies, the riot police on some occasions removed the detainees’ shoes and many were taken barefoot to the medical facility. The riot police also confiscated the detainees’ mobile phones and asked them to unlock them.
The GYLA says: “We condemn this inhuman and degrading treatment and demand an immediate investigation into each and every crime.”
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This week saw journalists from “AbzasMedia” exposing poor conditions and violations at Baku Detention Facility, while Alasgar Mammadli requested house arrest due to health issues, and the date for Azerbaijan’s municipal elections was announced for January 29, 2025.
Conditions and Violations at the Baku Detention Facility Revealed in Open Letter by Journalists
Three journalists from “AbzasMedia” – Sevinc Vaqifqızı, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Qasımova – currently detained in Baku Detention Facility No. 1, have written an open letter exposing the poor conditions there. They describe overcrowding, with women forced to sleep on the floor or share beds, leading to injuries. They also highlight the lack of basic necessities, including proper bedding, clothing, and hygiene products, which are supposed to be provided by the state but are either missing or substandard.
The journalists also point out that the second floor of the facility, which holds 170 women, has several cells being used for non-prison purposes, such as punishment cells or kitchens for guards. Despite regulations requiring detainees to receive appropriate bedding and personal items, the women are only given poor-quality goods. The food provided is also criticized for being insufficient and of low quality.
Finally, the journalists report that detainees are not receiving the clothing and hygiene items mandated by government regulations. Although a contract was signed with a supplier for these products, they are either never delivered or go missing in the facility, raising questions about resource mismanagement and the handling of funds allocated for detainee care.
Alasgar Mammadli Unsuccesfully Requests House Arrest
Alasgar Mammadli, a media expert from “Toplum TV,” has been in detention for nine months and has appealed for house arrest due to serious health issues, including a thyroid tumor requiring urgent surgery. In his court statement, he emphasized the negative impact his detention has on his family, particularly his two children’s education and well-being.
Mammadli argued that house arrest would not interfere with the investigation and that he had legal grounds for the request. He noted his public service record and denied any intention to obstruct the legal process. However, the Baku City Police Department opposed the request, citing the risk of Mammadli fleeing or hindering the investigation. Judge Akhundov rejected the appeal.
Mammadli believes his detention is politically motivated, part of an effort to silence independent media. The case involves accusations of smuggling, with the detainees claiming the evidence against them was fabricated. His lawyers plan to appeal the court’s decision.
Azerbaijan goes to the polls again
Municipal elections in Azerbaijan have been scheduled for January 29, 2025, as announced by the Central Election Commission on November 27.
On October 18, 2024, the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) discussed a draft law to amend the “Law on Municipalities’ Territories and Lands,” reducing the number of municipalities from 1,400 to 685. This change was approved by the Milli Majlis and signed into law by President Ilham Aliyev on November 25.
Azerbaijan has held five municipal elections so far, in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, with the most recent one on December 23, 2019. According to the Election Code, municipal elections are held every five years, typically in December. Some experts view the postponement of the 2025 elections as contrary to the law.
The post Azerbaijan’s Friday Wrap-Up: Parliamentary Election Date Set appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
This week saw journalists from “AbzasMedia” exposing poor conditions and violations at Baku Detention Facility, while Alasgar Mammadli requested house arrest due to health issues, and the date for Azerbaijan’s municipal elections was announced for January 29, 2025.
Conditions and Violations at the Baku Detention Facility Revealed in Open Letter by Journalists
Three journalists from “AbzasMedia” – Sevinc Vaqifqızı, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Qasımova – currently detained in Baku Detention Facility No. 1, have written an open letter exposing the poor conditions there. They describe overcrowding, with women forced to sleep on the floor or share beds, leading to injuries. They also highlight the lack of basic necessities, including proper bedding, clothing, and hygiene products, which are supposed to be provided by the state but are either missing or substandard.
The journalists also point out that the second floor of the facility, which holds 170 women, has several cells being used for non-prison purposes, such as punishment cells or kitchens for guards. Despite regulations requiring detainees to receive appropriate bedding and personal items, the women are only given poor-quality goods. The food provided is also criticized for being insufficient and of low quality.
Finally, the journalists report that detainees are not receiving the clothing and hygiene items mandated by government regulations. Although a contract was signed with a supplier for these products, they are either never delivered or go missing in the facility, raising questions about resource mismanagement and the handling of funds allocated for detainee care.
Alasgar Mammadli Unsuccesfully Requests House Arrest
Alasgar Mammadli, a media expert from “Toplum TV,” has been in detention for nine months and has appealed for house arrest due to serious health issues, including a thyroid tumor requiring urgent surgery. In his court statement, he emphasized the negative impact his detention has on his family, particularly his two children’s education and well-being.
Mammadli argued that house arrest would not interfere with the investigation and that he had legal grounds for the request. He noted his public service record and denied any intention to obstruct the legal process. However, the Baku City Police Department opposed the request, citing the risk of Mammadli fleeing or hindering the investigation. Judge Akhundov rejected the appeal.
Mammadli believes his detention is politically motivated, part of an effort to silence independent media. The case involves accusations of smuggling, with the detainees claiming the evidence against them was fabricated. His lawyers plan to appeal the court’s decision.
Azerbaijan goes to the polls again
Municipal elections in Azerbaijan have been scheduled for January 29, 2025, as announced by the Central Election Commission on November 27.
On October 18, 2024, the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) discussed a draft law to amend the “Law on Municipalities’ Territories and Lands,” reducing the number of municipalities from 1,400 to 685. This change was approved by the Milli Majlis and signed into law by President Ilham Aliyev on November 25.
Azerbaijan has held five municipal elections so far, in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, with the most recent one on December 23, 2019. According to the Election Code, municipal elections are held every five years, typically in December. Some experts view the postponement of the 2025 elections as contrary to the law.
The post Azerbaijan’s Friday Wrap-Up: Parliamentary Election Date Set appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.