06:19, 23 July 2017

In Tbilisi, protestors demand to release journalists arrested in Azerbaijan

Leyla Mustafaeva at the rally "Give us freedom instead of apartments!". Photo: Ali Gulaliyev. http://www.contact.az/ext/news/2017/7/free/Social/ru/64259.htm

Azerbaijani activists and journalists living in Georgia have held an action in honour of the National Press Day. They have demanded to release arrested journalists.

The participants of the rally have stated that more than ten journalists and bloggers were jailed for their critical articles.

According to Leyla Mustafaeva, the spouse of arrested journalist Afghan Mukhtarly, the purpose of the protest action is to draw attention to "the fate of the journalists thrown in jail in Azerbaijan," the "contact.az" reports.

One of the reasons for the protest action was the recent ceremony of handing keys to apartments to 255 journalists. A 17-storey residential house was specially built near the centre of Baku for media agents.

On July 20, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev handed keys from apartments to the journalists, the "day.az" reports.

A blogger of the "Caucasian Knot" known as "The Wind from Absheron" treats the distribution of apartments among journalists as "dirty scandalous."

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