Watchdog

Azerbaijani officials say Rasul Jafarov, a rights activist who is in pretrial detention, has asked President Ilham Aliyev for a pardon.

A copy of what the Penitentiary Service said was a letter from Jafarov asking Aliyev for a pardon was posted by the news agency APA on October 16.

Lawyers for Jafarov could not immediately be reached.

Jafarov was arrested in August and charged with treason, tax evasion, and illegal entrepreneurship.

He is one of several activists detained in Azerbaijan in recent months in what UN experts have called a "trend of repression."

On October 15, the chairperson of the Norway-based Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) expressed concern about crackdowns on rights activists in oil-producing Azerbaijan.

Clare Short said the situation is "clearly problematic."

On the same day, the U.S. State Department urged Azerbaijan to release those detained for exercising fundamental rights.

Based on reporting by the Azeri Press Agency, Interfax and EITI statement

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law that limits foreign ownership in Russian media to 20 percent.

Media reports in Russia on October 15 said the law signed by Putin also prohibits media outlets from being funded or run by foreign groups or individuals, including Russians with dual nationality.

The law requires owners of media companies with foreign-owned stakes of more than 20 percent to lower these stakes by February 2017.

Duma deputy Vadim Dengin, one of the authors of the bill, said last month that some 30 media outlets operating in Russia, including "Vedomosti," "Kommersant," and "Forbes," will be affected by the law.

Some media investors have criticized the bill as the Kremlin's latest attempt to stifle media freedom.

Based on reporting by rapsinews.ru and Interfax