European Games

JOINT STATEMENT: Journalist Rasim Aliyev murdered as human rights crackdown continues in aftermath of European Games

JOINT STATEMENT August 10, 2015 Azerbaijan: Journalist Rasim Aliyev murdered as human rights crackdown continues in aftermath of European Games The Sport for Rights coalition resolutely condemns the brutal murder of Azerbaijani journalist Rasim Aliyev, who died on 9 August in a Baku hospital, after he was severely beaten on 8 August by a group of people. Rasim Aliyev had reported receiving continuous threats and intimidation via social media networks for three weeks leading up to his death. Azerbaijani authorities have launched an investigation into the attack and detained at least one...

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JOINT STATEMENT: Anniversary of human rights defender’s arrest marks one year of unprecedented repression in Azerbaijan

JOINT STATEMENT July 30, 2015 Anniversary of human rights defender’s arrest marks one year of unprecedented repression in Azerbaijan A year after the Azerbaijani government launched an unprecedented crackdown on human rights, the situation in the country continues to deteriorate. The Sport for Rights Coalition calls on the international community to immediately and publicly condemn the government of Azerbaijan's actions and take concrete steps to support Azerbaijani civil society. One year ago, on 30 July 2014, Azerbaijani human rights defender Leyla Yunus was arrested and charged with treason, fraud, forgery, tax evasion, and illegal...

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Azerbaijani Opposition Rally on the Eve of the European Games

About 1,000 Azerbaijani held a rally on Sunday to protest against a crackdown on human rights as economic problems mount on the eve of the European Games and in the run-up parliamentary elections in November. The protesters demanded that authorities pay compensation for the damage that people have suffered as a result of the devaluation of the national currency. Hit by the fall in global oil prices, the ruble's drop against the dollar in neighboring Russia and the separatist war in east Ukraine, Azerbaijan devalued the...

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Many dead and scores injured in apartment building fire in Baku, felt victims of total corruption and impunity ahead of the European Games

16 people have died and more than 60 have been injured in a deadly fire at an apartment building in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Last week, during the morning of May 19, the massive fire quickly engulfed the 16-story apartment building which houses 408 residents in 107 flats. The blaze took hours to contain. Should the fire have occurred during the night or over the weekend, the death and injury toll would have been much higher, experts reckon. Azeri-style “Potemkin village” The reason for the rapid spread of...