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Associated Press
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Azerbaijan detains 7 linked to a Russian media outlet as a rift between Baku and Moscow deepens
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Seven people linked to a Kremlin-funded media outlet in Azerbaijan's capital have been detained after a raid on its office, the country's Interior Ministry said Tuesday, in the latest sign of the rift between Moscow and Baku over the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody. Tensions have been growing since December, when an Azerbaijani passenger jet was attacked as it approached Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, It later crashed, killing 38 of 67 people aboard, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev blamed Moscow and said Russian President Vladimir Putin had tried to 'hush up' what happened. On Monday, masked police stormed the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan. The Interior Ministry said the Kremlin-backed media outlet had continued operating via 'illegal financing,' despite having its accreditation revoked in February. Detained in the raid were Sputnik Azerbaijan's editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov, and editorial board director Igor Kartavykh. Five others linked to the media outlet also were detained and under investigation for alleged fraud, illegal entrepreneurship and acquiring property by criminal means. 2 Russians ordered held for up to 4 months in Azerbaijan Belousov and Kartavykh were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 12 years. They also were charged with conspiracy to launder funds or other property, and conspiracy to carry out an illegal enterprise. Both were arrested and ordered held for at least four months in pre-trial detention. Sputnik's parent company, Rossiya Segodnya, said Tuesday it was 'deeply concerned' by the raid and that Azerbaijani staff members were among those detained. Diplomats from the Russian Consulate have not been grated access to its citizens who were detained, it said, and that Kartavykh's apartment had been searched and computer equipment seized. 'All these actions have no basis and have led to the blocking of Sputnik Azerbaijan,' the statement said. 'We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately resolve this unacceptable situation and release our colleagues.' The Kremlin also called for their release. 'Such measures against members of the media are absolutely not in line with generally accepted rules and norms and, of course, do not match the spirit and nature of Russian-Azerbaijani relations,' spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. A police raid in Yekaterinburg, Russia The detentions followed Russian police raids Friday on the homes of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, Russia, as part of an investigation into a number of killings dating back decades. Two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, died while in police custody and several others were seriously injured in the raids, officials said, with nine people detained. Sayfaddin Huseynli, a brother of the two dead Azerbaijanis, told The Associated Press the raids were 'an inhumane, cruel act by Russia against migrants — an act of intimidation.' Migrants from Muslim-majority countries that once were part of the Soviet Union frequently complain of discrimination at the hands of Russians. On Tuesday, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan said it would launch a criminal investigation into the two deaths. It said Azerbaijani citizens and others of Azerbaijani descent who were 'practically helpless and unable to defend themselves,' were subjected to beatings and other physical abuse by Russian officials. It attributed the deaths of 60-year-old Huseyn Safarov and 55-year-old Ziyaddin Safarov to 'post-traumatic shock caused by multiple injuries.' Huseyn had also suffered post-hemorrhagic shock, it said. Russia's Investigative Committee said Monday that one of the deaths had been caused by heart failure. It did not provide details on the second victim, but said a medical examination would be conducted to determine the cause of death for both. Azerbaijan protests the deaths in custody Azerbaijan protested the deaths by canceling a scheduled trip to Moscow by government officials, citing the 'targeted extrajudicial killings and violence against Azerbaijanis on the basis of their nationality' by Russian law enforcement. It also called off a visit to Baku by a Russian deputy prime minister, and the Culture Ministry canceled concerts, exhibitions and other events by Russian state and private institutions. Ties between Moscow and Baku have been strained since the December crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet. The plane eventually crashed as it tried to land in nearby Kazakhstan. Aliyev said it was attacked over Russia, albeit unintentionally, and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare measures amid allegations that Russian air defense systems were trying to fend off a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny. Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he called a 'tragic incident' but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility. In May, Aliyev declined to attend Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow. Later that month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Azerbaijan, signaling closer ties between Baku and Kyiv.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Administration Eliminates Most Staff Of Voice Of America, Other U.S.-Funded Broadcasters
Voice of America, launched during World War II to counter the propaganda of Axis powers, has been reduced to a shell of its former self, with the Trump administration announcing that it was terminating more than 600 employees from the media outlet and other government-funded broadcasters. All told, 85% of the workforce has been eliminated since March, or 1,400 positions across the media outlets, according to an announcement from Kari Lake, the senior adviser tapped by Trump to make the cuts. More from Deadline JD Vance To Visit Los Angeles On Friday Amid ICE Raids And Protests Trump Brags About "Big Win" Over Newsom With Court Ordered Continued Control Of California National Guard, For Now - Update As Americans Celebrate Juneteenth, Donald Trump Complains About Too Many Federal Holidays Lake said that 250 employees will remain at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the entity that oversees the broadcast outlets, as well as at Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. 'The agency now operates near the statutory minimum; lean and focused,' Lake said. Trump signed an executive order in March to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media to the minimum level required by statute. The president had long targeted Voice of America, and originally tapped Lake to lead it. But by law, VOA is to remain independent of political influence, out of fears that it otherwise would become a president's propaganda arm. Instead, Trump and Lake have turned to paring down the media outlets, even though they have in the past enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress for providing U.S.-backed news and information to other countries. Lake announced in May that One America News Network, a Trump-supporting right wing news outlet, would be providing its news feed to VOA and other outlets. VOA's fate has been up in the air since March, when most of its staff was placed on leave, freezing in time its website. Employees have challenged Trump's actions in court. Among those who received reduction in force notices on Friday were three of the plaintiffs, including Patsy Widakuswara, Washington bureau choef of VOA News. Her notice, which she posted on X, was effective Sept. 1. Widakuswara said that those who received notices also included Persian journalists who were called back to work last week to cover Israel's war with Iran. Widakuswara and two other plaintiffs, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper, said in a statement, 'This move follows USAGM's firing of more than 500 contractors last month,' Widakuswara wrote. 'It spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds U.S. ideals of democracy and freedom around the world. As our legal team continue to fight for our rights under the law, we call on Congress to continue its long tradition of bipartisan support for VOA. Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups are flooding the global information space with anti-American propaganda. Do not cede this ground by silencing America's voice.' Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg The 25 Highest-Grossing Animated Films Of All Time At The Global Box Office The Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office
The Standard
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Standard
New York Times, Amazon sign AI licensing deal
The New York Times building is seen in Manhattan, New York, US, August 3, 2020. REUTERS
