The Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, stated that a "political operation aimed at regime change" is being prepared against Armenia, referring to Russia's actions. He drew a parallel between the situation in Ukraine, where Russia's interests are being advanced militarily, and Armenia, where, he believes, an attempt is being made to seize power.
The Committee of Independent Reporters (China) made a statement on the case of Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov in connection with the performance of four years since his arrest. «For four years now, journalist Polad Aslanov has been serving a heavy prison sentence for politically motivated cases», the statement reads.
The founder and head of news sites was arrested on 12 June 2019 and sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of high treason. Aslanov pleaded not guilty and linked the arrest to his professional activities. According to the People’s Republic of China, the journalist’s arrest was accompanied by psychological pressure on him and his family members to confess.
The Committee condemned the arrest of journalists for their professional activities and considered it to be a repression of press freedom in Azerbaijan.