Friday Wrap-up: 6 million voters, detention extended for journalist, and a wall being built
Published: 12 July 2024 17:53
This week saw the numbers of voters for the extraordinary parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, Hafiz Babali’s prison term extended and a wall being built on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Azerbaijan prepares for extraordinary parliamentary elections with over 6 million eligible voters
In preparation for the extraordinary parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, it was announced that 6,334,444 voters will be eligible to cast their votes. This information was shared by Zeynal Nagdaliyev, the assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, during a meeting organized by the Central Election Commission (CEC) for district election commission heads.
The CEC Chairman, Mazahir Panahov, highlighted that the early elections scheduled for September 1 will involve voting at over 6,400 polling stations across 125 constituencies.
The move towards early elections followed a formal request from the Parliament of Azerbaijan to President Ilham Aliyev on June 21, 2024, seeking its dissolution. Subsequently, on June 28, President Aliyev signed an order to dissolve the Milli Majlis (Parliament) and scheduled the extraordinary elections for September 1, 2024.
Journalist Hafiz Babali’s detention extended
Hafiz Babali, a journalist from the Turan Information Agency, will remain detained amid the investigation into the criminal case involving AbzasMedia. On July 9, the Khatai District Court reviewed the prosecutor’s request to extend his detention. The investigator argued that Babali should remain in custody to prevent potential interference with the investigation or witnesses.
During the court session, Babali and his lawyer, Rasul Jafarov, opposed the extension of his detention, arguing that the charges of smuggling against him were unfounded and motivated by his investigative journalism on corruption. Babali highlighted his health issues, including limited eyesight and vascular disease, which his lawyer used to request house arrest instead of imprisonment. Despite these arguments, the judge ruled to extend Babali’s detention until September 20.
The decision to extend Babali’s detention follows a pattern seen in the “AbzasMedia” case, which has targeted journalists known for corruption investigations since November 20.
Armenia constructs concrete wall on Azerbaijan border for resident security
Armenia has built a concrete wall on its border with Azerbaijan, particularly near the village of Kirants, to enhance the security of its residents. The wall, reported by the Armenian service of RFE/RL, stands approximately 3 meters high and 1 meter wide, stretching for 100 meters.
In addition to the concrete wall, Armenia has also installed wire fences on its side of the border, contrasting with the lack of corresponding border facilities on the Azerbaijani side. The construction of the wall follows an agreement between Baku and Yerevan to adhere to the 1976 topographical map of the USSR General Staff, which resulted in parts of the Armenia-Georgia interstate highway and adjacent lands coming under Azerbaijani control.
The ongoing border delimitation processes amidst peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are being mediated by the United States, the European Union, and Russia yet a formal peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains unreachable.