Azerbaijan ? Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has pardoned 119 prisoners, including five journalists, his press service said on Saturday.

Among the released prisoners are editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper Mukhalifet (Opposition) Rovshan Kebirli convicted of defamation and libel, and editor-in-chief of the Senet newspaper Samir Sadagetoglu convicted of inciting racial, religious and social hatred.

Many local and international human rights organizations earlier demanded the release of the journalists, who had been allegedly imprisoned for their professional activities.