Prominent American astronaut Garrett Reisman has refused to participate in the International Astronautical Congress being held in Azerbaijan, citing that country’s military attack against Armenia. He made this statement in a post on his Twitter page.
“Why is the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) being held in Azerbaijan, a country that is guilty of the latest military attack against its neighbor Armenia? Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries; it has one of the worst human rights records in Europe. I will not go, and if you are planning to go, I ask you to reconsider your decision,” wrote Reisman.
He also recalled that Azerbaijan’s military attack against Armenia began in September of last year, and that this act was condemned by the European Parliament.
Reisman also shared on his Twitter page the reports and assessments of a number of international organizations, for example, Azerbaijan’s poor position on Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, where it ranks 128th out of 180 countries.
