U.S. President Brack Obama slammed Azerbaijan for relentless crackdown on civil society during his speech at at Clinton Global Initiative.

In his remarks, Obama touched upon crackdown on civil society in many countries, including Azerbaijan.

“From Russia to China to Venezuela, you are seeing relentless crackdowns, vilifying legitimate dissent as subversive.  In places like Azerbaijan, laws make it incredibly difficult for NGOs even to operate.  From Hungary to Egypt, endless regulations and overt intimidation increasingly target civil society.  And around the world, brave men and women who dare raise their voices are harassed and attacked and even killed,” he said.

U.S. President noted that for the sake of national security, the United States works with governments that do not fully respect the universal rights of their citizens.