Azeri rights activist flown to Switzerland
A human rights activist from Azerbaijan who has been hiding in the Swiss embassy in Baku has been flown to Switzerland.
The foreign ministry confirmed Emin Hüseynov, a journalist and critic of the Azeri regime, had been granted by visa for humanitarian reason.
He arrived in Bern on Saturday on a plane with Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter who had represented Switzerland at the opening of the European Baku games in the central Asian republic.
Hüseynov who was given refuge in the Swiss embassy for the past ten months because he feared for his life.
He has until September to apply for asylum, according to a foreign ministry spokesman.
He said Hüseynov’s departure from Baku was preceded by numerous talks with Azeri officials.
Exception
A foreign ministry statement added that Swiss diplomats acted as mediators between Hüseynov and Azerbaijan’s government.
Burkhalter for his part described the case as an exception.
The human rights organisation Amnesty International has repeatedly criticised the Azeri regime of President Ilham Alijev for mistreating political opponents.
Hüseynov’s presence in the Swiss embassy was revealed in a report by the Swiss public television in February.
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