The U.S. remains firmly committed to advancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in this case, we again call on the government to respect the rights of its citizens, including the right to peaceful expression, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said.

His remarks came during a briefing, responding to a question about the recent arrests of Azerbaijani opposition figures Bakhtiyar Hajiyev and Tofig Yagublu. 

According to him, this is an issue that we continue to study deeply and raise directly.

The U.S. remains firmly committed to advancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in this case we again call on the government to respect the rights of its citizens, including the right to peaceful expression, he added.