The United States says it has raised concerns with Azerbaijan about Said Nuri, a U.S. citizen of Azerbaijani origin who was deported by authorities in Baku after what he called days of "intimidation and harassment."
"We have made our concerns clear to them both publicly and privately," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said on September 15.
Nuri, a former youth opposition leader, says he was ejected from Azerbaijan and told he could never return.
He said he has since received an anonymous e-mail warning him not to forget that his relatives remain in Azerbaijan.
"We are increasingly concerned that the government of Azerbaijan is not living up to its international human rights commitments and obligations in its actions against civil society groups," Harf said.
Rights watchdogs have decried the wave of arrests of Azerbaijani rights activists in recent months.
