Azernews.Az

British activist working for the "Platform London" organization, Emma Hughes, has been banned from entering Baku, according to a Haqqin.az report.

Hughes herself said she arrived in Baku to monitor the European Games. She said she flew to Baku from Rome, but was detained by the state border services of Azerbaijan, and she was officially informed that within 24 hours she will be sent back to London.

Haqqin.az has contacted Hughes and asked her to provide comments on the incident. She said she was treated well at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Hughes said she also wasn't stripped off her mobile phone, and no illegal action was taken against her.

Hughes said she was provided food and full freedom of movement in the airport.

She said she came to Baku as a representative of the Red Pepper magazine and was supposed to be present at an event, yet denied to comment on the details.

As seen in the photos of Hughes taken by Haqqin.az, the activist is in the airport, sitting freely, posting in her blog.

Meanwhile, within minutes of information of Hughes' detention being published, the UK's Guardian quickly published a big article about the incident, adding some traditional anti-Azerbaijani elements.

Haqqin.az writes that the visit of Emma Hughes to Baku was planned and someone in the UK was expecting Azerbaijani authorities to prevent the activist from entering the country.

Thus, from the minute Hughes arrived in Baku, her each step was carefully followed by the UK side, since as earlier mentioned, the Guardian was way too quick to publish an article on the incident.

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