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Azerbaijan declines 'revolting' United States human rights criticism before COP29

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday declined what he called a disgusting letter from U.S. legislators who criticised his nation's human rights record and urged it to free political detainees before it hosts next month's COP29 environment conference.

The letter, signed by nearly 60 legislators, prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees, captives, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to make it possible for a more favorable environment for successful diplomacy at COP29.

It said that provocative Azerbaijani declarations towards Armenia ran the risk of weakening peace settlements in between the two nations, which have fought 2 wars given that the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Speaking in Jabrayil, a town regained from Armenian forces in a 2020 war, Aliyev called the letter a revolting appeal that can not influence our will and stated it had actually been drawn up to threaten and accuse us.

Azerbaijan's human rights record, consisting of the detention of journalists and activists, is coming under increasing scrutiny as it prepares to invite delegates and media from around the world to the November climate conference.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Aliyev's foreign policy consultant, stated in a. declaration to Reuters that Azerbaijan's hosting of the event. need to not be developed into a political tool. He implicated critics. of looking for to deflect attention far from environment action.

Representatives of Ruben Vardanyan, a previous Russian. financial investment lender who was a leading official in the ethnic Armenian. leadership of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, filed. suits today stating he has actually been tortured, maligned by the. media and denied his rights to a quick trial in Azerbaijan.

Vardanyan has actually been detained for the previous year because Baku's. forces staged a lightning offensive to take back Karabakh, an. worldwide recognised part of Azerbaijan where ethnic. Armenians had delighted in de facto self-reliance because breaking away. in the 1990s.

Azerbaijan's district attorney general stated in response to the. grievance that all Vardanyan's rights were being respected and. he had actually gotten a lots sees from representatives of the. International Committee of the Red Cross.

His right to the presumption of innocence was not breached. by the prosecutor's workplace or other state bodies, and he was not. subjected to inhuman treatment or torture, the district attorney's. workplace stated in a statement to Reuters.

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of carrying out ethnic cleansing. in Karabakh, which Baku denies. The two nations have for the. in 2015 remained in taken part in fitful talks over a peace treaty.

Aliyev on Friday accused Armenia of being insincere about. wanting to finish a deal and of rearming for fresh combating,. cautioning it to stop these dangerous video games!

Armenia, which this year withdrew from numerous Azerbaijani. border villages it had long managed, has actually stated in current weeks. that Azerbaijan does not appear thinking about signing a treaty.

(source: Reuters)