RFE/RL's Baku bureau raided by prosecutor's office

Kenan Aliyev, the director of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, says at least 10 members of the Prosecutor's Office entered the Baku bureau at 10:30 a.m. local time accompanied by armed police officers. 

They are currently holding up to 20 bureau staff members in a single room and have reportedly demanded access to a safe holding bureau documents and personnel files. 

Prosecutors say the court order is related to an ongoing investigation of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service as a foreign-funded entity. 

Azerbaijani prosecutors have staged similar raids in recent months on other foreign-funded groups, including the IREX civil society NGO and the National Democratic Institute. 

Both those entities were ultimately shut down. 

 

(RFE/RL)