UNESCO appointed as Goodwill Ambassador the First Lady of Azerbaijan, a country where journalists are detained, imprisoned, and sometimes killed. European press freedom NGOs strongly protested this decision, exposing serious concerns over Bokova’s ties with authoritarian regimes.

In Azerbaijan, journalists are detained, imprisoned, and at times killed.
2016-11-06
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
Furthermore, the Bulgarian news site Bivol.bg introduced Armenian newspaper reports as follows and accused Bokova of supporting authoritarian regimes.
UNESCO had appointed Mehriban Aliyeva, the wife of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Strongly protesting this appointment is the NGO European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), which was established in Europe to protect freedom of the press.
In Azerbaijan, journalists are detained, imprisoned, and at times killed.
Appointing the First Lady of such a country as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador is terrifying and completely unacceptable.
In 2015, ECPMF sent an open letter to Bokova demanding the immediate dismissal of Mehriban Aliyeva from her position as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
I believe that Bokova intends to recommend Aliyeva as a candidate for the next Director-General of UNESCO in exchange for financial contributions from the Aliyev family.
This manuscript continues.