Sources: RFE/RL, Contact.az
Azerbaijani activist and journalist Emin Huseynov left the country on the plane of Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, who was in Baku to attend the opening of the European Games on June 12,
RFE/RL
reported on June 13, 2015.
Huseynov, 35, was sheltered in the Swiss Embassy in Baku for 10 months after the authorities opened a criminal case against him and wanted to arrest him. Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Marc Crevoisier said on June 13 that Huseynov has been given refuge at the Swiss embassy last August amid fears for his safety.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Huseynov feared being arrested because of Azerbaijan’s crackdown on journalists and human rights defenders.
A scathing critic of the Aliyev regime, he was prosecuted for fraud and tax evasion. International human rights organizations demanded his release before the European Games.
Huseynov is now granted a visa to Switzerland until September. Until then, he will have to decide whether to apply for asylum.
Contact.az
reported citing diplomatic sources that Huseynov’s release was a result of long negotiations between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Burkhalter.
