About 20 people gathered near the grave of journalist Rasim Aliev in Baku

Three years after the death of journalist Rasim Aliev, Azerbaijan still faces persecutions of the freedom of speech, the activists, who gathered to pay tribute to Aliev's memory, have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rasim Aliev was beaten up on August 8, 2015, and on the following day died in hospital. Within the case of his death, five people were convicted to prison terms from 11 to 13 years.

"The other day, the mother of brothers, Mekhman and Emin Guseinov, has died; she fell victim to unfair persecutions of her sons," Mekhman Aliev, the Director of the "Turan" News Agency, has stated, adding that champions of freedom are unbreakable.

Also, according to his story, Azerbaijan is now pursuing the trend to block the websites disliked by the authorities.

The criminal case on Aliev's death was investigated non-objectively, Samir Kazymly, the coordinator of the Alliance for the Defence of Political Freedoms, has stated.

"At first, journalists were the target of the authorities, then NGO activists and rights defenders, now – advocates. They are in turn liquidating the democracy institutions," Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Monitoring Centre for Political Prisoners, has stated.

Samira Agaeva, a human rights defender, has also pointed to repressions against the Institute of Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS).