Azerbaijan Releases Russian Journalist from Pretrial Detention

Igor Kartavykh, director of the Russian media agency Sputnik Azerbaijan, has been released from pretrial detention in Baku. He is now under house arrest in Baku, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

The decision to ease his pretrial detention was made on the eve of the meeting between the Russian and Azerbaijani presidents in Dushanbe. Sputnik Azerbaijan editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov remains in custody.

Russia, in turn, released one of the Azerbaijani citizens detained in Russia.

In July, Azerbaijani security forces detained Igor Kartavykh, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-owned agency Sputnik Azerbaijan, and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov. They were accused of illegal activities and working for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

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