ArmInfo. NASA Astronaut Garrett Reisman has refused to participate in the AC 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
He left the following Twitter messages:
"Why is IAC in Azerbaijan - a country guilty of recent military aggression against its neighbor Armenia? Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt nations with one of the worst human rights records in Europe.(references in thread) I'm not going, & if you are, please reconsider.
"A recent freedomhouse report places Azerbaijan in a four-way tie with Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia.
"Reporters without Borders ranks Azerbaijan in the 154th place out of 180 nations (just 1 spot ahead of Russia, congratulations, Azerbaijan!) on the Press Freedom Index.
"Transparency International ranks Azerbaijan as 128th out of 180 nations on their current Corruption Perceptions Index - again just one place above Russia - well done, Azerbaijan!"
"The military aggression started last September and has been condemned by the European Parliament.