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Freedom of expression is under sustained and severe attack in Azerbaijan in the run up to next month’s parliamentary elections, Amnesty International said after two of its staff were stopped at the border and deported.

Immigration officials retained the passports of two Amnesty International delegates, both Georgian nationals, after they flew into the capital Baku, and deported them hours later. Amnesty International had informed the authorities well in advance of their upcoming visit but never received a reply.

“What other dark secrets are the Azerbaijani authorities trying to conceal from the outside world before the parliamentary election?” John Dalhusien, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia said. “The deportation of our staff adds to a sad litany of journalists and human rights defenders being targeted, detained and jailed simply for carrying out their work. There is no let-up in the government’s repressive campaign to stifle all criticism and dissent.”

This is far from being the first case the group is denied entry to Azerbaijan. Back in June 2015, Amnesty International said it had been forced to cancel a planned visit to Azerbaijan after being told by the government at the last minute that the mission should be postponed until after the European Games. The visit was intended to launch a briefing – Azerbaijan: the Repression Games. The voices you won’t hear at the first European Games. “The actions of the authorities have only highlighted their desperate attempts to create a criticism-free zone around the Games,” Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, said.

Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary elections are scheduled on 1 November 2015. There were recent local reports about the authorities faking a growth of the number of “independent” candidates for the elections. The international agencies reportedly took up rather stern stance regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections. On 11 September 2015, Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), announced that, due to restrictions imposed by the Azerbaijani authorities, ODIHR had no choice but to cancel its mission to observe the country’s parliamentary elections. Earlier, ODIHR had reported about its intention to send 380 observers to Azerbaijan.

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British journalist is deported from Baku and Amnesty International is denied entry to Azerbaijan