After congratulating the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on the presidential election, Hugh McDermott, a member of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales, has been put on the “blacklist” of Azerbaijan.
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“Congrats to the people of the Armenian Republic of Artsakh who held their presidential elections this week. Over 72% of the voting population came out & exercised their democratic rights at the polls. I wish the candidates luck in the 2nd vote on 14th April!” McDermott tweeted. “In a region of authoritarian regimes & dictatorships it’s great to see a flourishing democracy. Congratulations to the free people of Artsakh!”
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And then he added: “I’ve just discovered that I have been blacklisted by the authoritarian Azerbaijani dictatorship for my support of a free and democratic Artsakh (Karabakh). What an honour!” “I now join with Baroness Caroline Cox, International Human Rights Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson AO QC, and hundreds of democracy loving MPs, journalists, academics, artists and human rights advocates. Couldn’t be prouder.”
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H/T News.Am