 Council of Europe Commissioner urges Azerbaijani government to end crackdown on civil society journalists. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunjar Miatovic, has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to end persecution of journalists and members of the civil society. In a statement made on March the 25th, Miatovic said the increasing repression faced by journalists and civil society members in Azerbaijan raises concerns. The official reminded that at least six journalists including the founder of Karnal 13, online television channel Aziz Orojov and his host Rufat Muradli, the director of Abzaz Media, Ulvi Hassanli and its chief editor, Sevinj Vagifgizi, as well as independent journalist Teymur Karimov, were arrested in November 2023 on dubious charges. In addition to that, at the beginning of March 2024, the police raided the offices of the independent online television station Toplam TV and detained its founder Alasghar Mamadli and journalist Mushvig Jabbar. Among the detained civilian society members are also independent journalist Avaz Zainali, prominent civil society activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Gubad Abadoglu, an academic and prominent civil society figure who is suffering from several serious health conditions while in detention. I urge the Azerbaijani government to take decisive steps to ensure full respect of its human rights obligations. This would require the release of all those including journalists and civil society activists who were imprisoned for their legitimate work or for expressing dissenting or critical opinions and creating an enabling environment for the activities of journalists, civil society and human rights defenders including in relation to their enjoyment of the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, Moyatovic said. The official reminded that she made similar calls to the Azerbaijani authorities since 2019 over the deteriorating situation in relation to the enjoyment of freedom of expression and media freedom as well as a continuing hostile environment for human rights defenders and civil society activists who face various forms of harassment, intimidation and reprisals. She reminded her letter addressed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry back in July 2023 in which she urged Bakhtiyar to improve the situation related to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and ensuring that human rights defenders, lawyers and civil society activists can carry out their legitimate activities in a safe and enabling environment without the risk of being subjected to reprisals, harassment and other obstacles. Unfortunately, the authorities have continued to show a stark disregard for their human rights obligations in these fields thereby exacerbating the situation within the country. Moyatovic highlighted. Russian expert warns of looming military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Yerevan claims that Moscow is preparing a coup and openly speaks about attempts of the fifth column and pro-Russian Armenian opposition to seize power through terrorist methods, according to Russian expert Dmitry Malyshev. This blatant disinformation appeared back in the autumn of 2023 and Maria Zakharova literally called it misinformation. It is not quite clear who the Armenian government refers to as the fifth column. In particular, the Bagramyan 26 telegram channel which is close to the Armenian government wrote about the coup attempt but almost six months have passed and no coup has taken place. The Armenian government should pay more attention to the problems of normal socio-economic development of the Republic and not to the search for mythical enemies which Russia has never been and is not for the people of Armenia. He added in an interview with Caliber Media Outlet, Russia has repeatedly warned Armenia about the threat of a repeat of the Ukrainian scenario but it seems that Yerevan does not pay any attention to this. Blindly following France's orders, Dmitry Malyshev says that such a position of Armenia, which, however, is perfectly natural, is perceived in Russia extremely negatively. He says that Armenia dreams of revenge not peace with Azerbaijan at all and continues to purchase armaments intensively. Conflicts like the Karabakh conflict as world practice shows do not stop by themselves, they arise at any moment. Yerevan says that Armenia needs a new military partner other than Russia. It should probably be France. Armenia stated a year ago that it had prepared the text of the peace agreement and was only waiting for Azerbaijan's consent. The countries continue to have numerous territorial claims against each other. The conclusion of a peace agreement should be preceded by at least a partial resolution of a whole set of disputed issues. Under these conditions, it is not possible to talk about the conclusion of a full-fledged peace agreement that would suit the peoples of both states, he added.