Azerbaijani GPO confiscates equipment and documents of American NGO IREX, its employees report

Officials of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan have conducted a search in the Baku office of the American NGO IREX (The International Research and Exchanges) and confiscated all the computers and other equipment, as well as documents.

"In this context, the IREX has already gone to court. The NGO hopes that to finish the project funded by the USAID (US Agency for International Development), which ends on September 30, 2014, the confiscated equipment and documents will be returned as soon as possible," says the NGO's statement.

It is emphasized in the statement that the bank accounts of the IREX in Azerbaijan were frozen back on July 26, 2014, in connection with the criminal case against "a number of local and foreign NGOs." "The IREX expects a speedy and fair completion of this investigation. The IREX expresses its concern about the actions that hinder the continuation of the work conducted for 15 years to successfully support the media and civil society," concludes the statement posted on the page of the Azerbaijani branch of the IREX on the Facebook.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported in August that Azerbaijani bank accounts of six local NGOs and one international NGO were arrested at the request of the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.