Azernews.Az

The European Union has welcomed the "long-awaited" release of five Azerbaijani journalists and called on the authorities to pardon the remaining imprisoned media representatives.
"The presidential pardon is a positive step towards Azerbaijan's fulfillment of international and European obligations with regard to freedom of the press," it said in a statement.
119 people were released under a pardon decree issued by President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of December 31, New Year's Eve and Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis. Mukhalifat (Opposition) newspaper's executive Yashar Aghazada, Rafiq Tagi, who had been convicted for insulting the Islamic faith, and his editor Samir Sadagatoglu, the editor of Nota Bene newspaper Faramaz Novruzoglu and another newspaper editor, Rovshan Kabirli, were among those pardoned.
The EU said further that it would like to see the three journalists still imprisoned - Mirza Sakit, Ganimat Zahid and Eynullah Fatullayev - released or pardoned at the earliest opportunity and would like a moratorium to be declared on proceedings for defamation.
"The European Union is convinced that such political gestures could contribute to strengthening the partnership between Azerbaijan and the European Union and would be conducive to a more favorable political atmosphere in the run-up to the electoral campaign," the statement said.
4,584 persons have been released under 42 pardon decrees in the country since 1995.