Ban on leaving Azerbaijan lifted from "Meydan TV" freelance authors

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan has allowed trips abroad for three journalists and a writer, who had been prohibited from leaving the country in connection with the criminal case against the "Meydan TV".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 3, journalists held a protest action in Baku against the restriction of their leaving the country in connection with the criminal case initiated against the "Meydan TV".

Today, the journalists Natig Djavadly, Izolda Agaeva, Salima Djalilova and the writer Rasim Garadja were received by Eldar Akhmedov, the head of the GPO's Investigating Department for Grave Crimes, who announced that the ban on leaving the country had been lifted, Natig Djavadly told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The ban on our travels abroad has been lifted 'because there's no need for it.' Mr Akhmedov served notifications on lifting the ban to us," the journalist said, explaining that all the four had collaborated with the "Meydan TV"; and the ban on leaving Azerbaijan was imposed in 2015 after the initiation of the above criminal case.

The GPO has promised that the ban on leaving the country imposed on other journalists will also be lifted in the near future, Mr Djavadly has added. "This ban is still in force in respect of eight journalists who had prepared materials or published their texts on the 'Meydan TV'," he said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 6, 2019 at 01:19 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.