Individuals with Armenian-Sounding Surnames Face Discrimination When Visiting Azerbaijan, State Department

The U.S. State Department has released its 2018 Human Rights report, which addresses human rights violations in Azerbaijan. The report notes that individuals visiting Azerbaijan who have Armenian-sounding names are also subjected to discrimination on ethnic grounds. These individuals are denied entry into Azerbaijan regardless of their nationality.

Official Moscow has repeatedly raised this issue, sending notes to Azerbaijan, but to no avail. Azerbaijani authorities justify this by claiming they cannot ensure the safety of such individuals if they are allowed into the country.

There have even been instances where Azerbaijani border guards created problems for a Ukrainian journalist who came to promote the Azerbaijani government's narrative. When the border guards saw the journalist's name, Nataliya Nagorna, they questioned why she had an Armenian surname and made her entry complicated.

Photo credit: Emil Sanamyan's Twitter page.