freedom house

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Mass hunger strikes in Azerbaijan against ‘political prosecutions’

•7 min read

At least 20 people both in prison and on the outside are now on hunger strike in Azerbaijan in protest against political prosecutions in the country, local activists say. Nine people being held in Azerbaijani prisons joined announced they had joined the strike on 14 January, informing their families in a joint letter sent from prison. They have been joined outside prison by opposition politicians, activists, and journalists, including investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. The hun

Amnesty International

Georgian authorities ‘investigating’ media giant Palitra

by OC Media

•4 min read

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has ordered media holding group Palitra Media to hand over all documents related to their legal, accounting, financial, and economic activities over the last four years. Palitra Media announced that investigators visited their Colorpack printing house on Monday with a court order demanding the files, including correspondences, from 2014 to September 2018. Palitra Media is one of the largest media holdings in Georgia, owning over a dozen print, online, radio,

Armenia

Freedom House: Democracy declines across the Caucasus

by OC Media

•7 min read

Democracy declines in the Caucasus with ‘half-hearted reforms’ in Georgia, improper investigation of high-level corruption in Armenia, ‘deeply entrenched’ authoritarianism in Azerbaijan, and a crackdown on queer people in the North Caucasus, according to American right group Freedom House’s Nations in Transit 2018 report. ‘Half-hearted democratic reforms’ in Georgia Georgia’s democracy score declined since last year amidst a period of slight setbacks for Georgia’s democratic development,

Corruption

Georgian leaders fire back after Freedom House criticism on democracy

by OC Media

•4 min read

Leaders from the ruling Georgian Dream party have criticised American rights watchdog Freedom House, for suggesting democracy declined in the country in 2017. ‘Absurd, unobjective and amusing’ were some of the words PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Parliament chairman Irakli Kobakhidze used to describe their 2018 Nations in Transit report, which said informal governance was ‘one of the key features of GD’s rule’. The report said that ‘since 2012, key ministerial portfolios have been held by Ivan

Abkhazia

Crimea, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan ‘least free places in Europe’

by OC Media

•3 min read

Crimea, South Ossetia, and Azerbaijan have been ranked the least free places in Europe, in the latest edition of American rights group Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report. The report measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights across the world. Countries and territories were ranked on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 being least free and 100 most free. In the Caucasus, Georgia, Armenia, Abkhazia, and Nagorno-Karabakh were all rated ‘partly free’ scoring 64, 45, 41,

Armenia

Freedom House: Internet Freedom ‘declines in Armenia and Azerbaijan’

by OC Media

•3 min read

Internet Freedom in Azerbaijan and Armenia have slightly deteriorated while Georgia has slightly strengthened its position, according to a recent Freedom House report. On 14 November, the American rights group published their annual Freedom of the Net report. On a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 being most free and 100 most repressed, Georgia scored 24, putting it on par with the United Kingdom. Azerbaijan scored 58, and Armenia 32, making them ‘partly free’, while Georgia strengthened its po

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s Turan news agency investigated for ‘tax evasion’

by OC Media

•2 min read

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Taxes initiated criminal proceedings against independant Baku-based news agency the Turan Information Agency, on 7 August, according to them. The investigation is focused on profit taxes of ₼27,000 ($16,000) which the agency allegedly owes from 2014. Turan deny the claims, saying that the ministry is acting illegally, and have applied to a Baku court to have the charges thrown out. Turan Information Agency have in the past resisted government censorship. Mehman A