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— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) December 12, 2024
Day: December 12, 2024
Anthony Blinken: “She returned knowing that she might be arrested on arrival.”
The U.S. Department of State awarded Sevinj Vagifgizi, the editor-in-chief of AbzasMedia, with the “Champions of Combating Corruption” award.
Sevinj is known for her work on corruption investigations, and she is currently imprisoned.
In his speech, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted Sevinj’s devotion over the past decade in exposing government abuses.
“She is also the one awardee who is not with us this afternoon. In November 2023, Sevinj flew home from an overseas country amid a crackdown on Azerbaijani independent media. She returned knowing that she might be arrested on arrival. She was. Now, more than a year later, she remains in detention. Prior to her arrest Sevinj wrote and I quote, ‘I don’t feel fear anymore. I know what they can do. It does not stop me. It is more important to be useful to the people. People need us’”
-Antony Blinken
Blinken also expressed gratitude to the ten anti-corruption champions for their courage. He said it was an honor to partner with them in this fight. The Department of State created the “Champions of Combating Corruption” award in 2021 to recognize individuals who have made significant progress in fighting corruption and to show the U.S. government’s solidarity with them.
This year’s award recipients include journalists, human rights defenders, judges, and even government officials who have facilitated major institutional changes. Other awardees include Jorge Mora Cortes from Colombia, Matrika Daxal from Nepal, Altin Dumani from Albania, Srbukhy Galyan from Armenia, Carl Irani from Lebanon, Marr Nyang from Gambia, Javier Enrique Caraballo Salazar from Panama, Didar Smagulov from Kazakhstan, and Jimmy Spyre Ssentongo from Uganda. Blinken emphasized that each recipient made a difficult decision to help their own citizens and all the people around the world, and their dedication, along with those of others, we are in a better place now.
AbzasMedia, the organization behind Sevinj’s work, has also faced significant challenges. Six of its employees, including the general manager Ulvi Hasanlı, assistant Muhammad Kekalov, editor Sevinj Vagifgiz, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, and investigative journalist Hafız Babali, have been arrested. These individuals are facing charges of smuggling, with some detained since November 2023.
On May 31, 2024, journalist and economist Farid Mehralizade from the “Azadlig” radio station was arrested, and a search was conducted at his home. He was accused under Article 206.3.2 of the Penal Code, which concerns smuggling by a group of individuals who had previously made secret agreements. The Khatai District Court decided to detain him for security reasons. On the same day, AbzasMedia issued a statement declaring that Mehralizade had no connection to the media organization.
Following this, each of the detainees in the AbzasMedia case was faced with additional serious charges related to financial matters. Since November 2023, nearly 20 journalists and social activists have been arrested in Azerbaijan on smuggling charges. None of these individuals have been charged based on their professional activities or political affiliations.
According to local human rights organizations, there are currently around 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons. Authorities typically assert that no one has been detained solely for political reasons related to their professional activities. However, both local and international human rights organizations believe these arrests are politically motivated, and they are calling for the release of the detainees and the withdrawal of the charges against them.
The post Sevinj Vagifgizi honored as anti-corruption champion appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
On December 12, the delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) held closed-door meetings with the President, opposition coalitions, NGOs, and media representatives. They have emphasized the need for fair elections and stronger EU involvement. MEPs also called for the rerun of the recent elections, which they deemed neither free nor fair, and reaffirmed their commitment to Georgia’s European future.
Prior to the visit, on December 11, Rasa Juknevičienė, one of the visiting MEPs, outlined the purpose of the delegation on social media platform X, stating that the visit aimed to “show solidarity with Georgians fighting for a European future”. She also announced in the post that the MEP delegation will meet with the Georgian President, civil society organisations and media representatives.
While specific details of the talks remain confidential, these are high-profile meetings which underline the attention Georgia is receiving from the West in the midst of a deep political crisis.
Some of the MEPs have shared their reflections following their meeting with President Zurabishvili. For instance, Michał Szczerba stated that Georgia was granted with EU’s candidate status with certain conditions, of which one of the most significant one was to hold free and fair elections “and it must be said that these elections were neither free nor fair,” he highlighted. “Therefore, we ask the Georgian government to rerun these elections with certain conditions and according to the standards we respect in the European Union”, said Polish MEP.
In addition, Rasa Juknevičienė stated that: “We are here as a fact-finding mission to see the situation on the ground, and of course, our meetings are very important for drawing the right conclusions.” She also shared her thoughts that she wants the EU “to act, to be louder and more supportive.” She outlined that “We are not here to support any specific political party, but we are here to support Georgia as a country that is now at a very important and decisive moment”.
The list of the Delegation Members in Georgia:
- Rasa Juknevičienė (Lithuania, European People’s Party – EPP)
- Michał Szczerba (Poland, European People’s Party – EPP)
- Nathalie Loiseau (France, Renew Europe)
- Bernard Guetta (France, Renew Europe)
- Tobias Kremer (Germany, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
- Reinier van Lanschot (Netherlands, Greens/European Free Alliance)
The NGO sector also commented after the meeting with the delegation. Nino Dolidze, head of ISFED, said: “The arrival of the Members of the European Parliament is very important – they are expressing their concerns and reaffirming their support for the Georgian people in our democratic development and European future.” She added that the delegation had been briefed on human rights violations and current situation in Georgia.
Besides the European Parliament’s delegation, Gustav Getberg, a member of the Swedish Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is also visiting Georgia. On December 11, he issued a strong statement: “I recently arrived in Tbilisi to express support for the Georgian people, their European aspirations, and their right to peaceful protest”. He also wrote on X that: “Georgia is Europe, and Europe is Georgia – and no oligarch can change this essential fact.”
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