Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.

[Q]: What is not being reported in Azerbaijan. While global media appears to be focused on debating the limitations on free speech in France following the attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo , it is worth remembering that France is not the only country whose media professionals are targeted . For years, journalists in Azerbaijan have suffered harsh penalties for defending their freedom of speech- from prison sentences to interrogation and the confiscation of broadcasting equipment . On December 26, at around 10:30am, a group of police officers and investigators stormed the Baku bureau of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , ransacking the company's safe, seizing company documents, the official seal and equipment , while keeping the staff hostage in a conference room for over five hours . Once the search was over, the office was sealed shut . The staff was let go only to be forcefully summoned a day later at the heavy crimes unit of the state prosecutor's office for questioning . In just a few days, over 30 former and current staff members of RFE/RL were questioned, including the bureau's cleaner . On December 30, the government accused the radio and its staff of espionage, money laundering and appropriation of funds as part of the ongoing criminal investigation against foreign-funded entities in Azerbaijan . Similar measures were taken against Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), the Media Rights Institute, and International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) . The offices of all three were raided in August and sealed shut with IREX leaving the country shortly after . The director of IRFS, Emin Huseynov, remains in hiding . Consistent targeting . This is not the first time the RFE/RL station, locally called Azadliq Radio (Liberty Radio) is targeted by the authorities . In 2009, its FM broadcast was shut down . BBC radio service and Voice of America followed suit . For years, the police harassed the radio's reporters, often confiscating or breaking their equipment or detaining them for endless hours of interrogation . On December 5, Azadliq Radio investigative journalist and the host of the radio's daily show, Khadija Ismayilova, was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for two months . Accused of "incitement to suicide" or "an attempt to suicide" as per Article 125 of the Criminal Code, Ismayilova remains in jail  - even though her accuser, Tural Mustafayev, has withdrawn his complaint . Mustafayev had accused Ismayilova of inciting him to attempt suicide and "insulting his honour and dignity on social networks and among her friends following the break-up of their relations and his intention to marry another woman" . On December 30, the Baku Court of Appeal dismissed Ismayilova's appeal for house arrest . Prior to this charge, Ismayilova was already facing an unrelated criminal trial for defamation linked to her posting a document on Facebook revealing the identity of a man who was an informant for Azerbaijan's intelligence services . In October, when travelling for a conference in Prague, Ismayilova was prevented from leaving the country . A little over a week before this trip, Ismayilova was searched and detained for four hours at Baku International Airport . She was returning from Strasbourg where she talked about the deteriorating human rights conditions in Azerbaijan . Her investigative work uncovered many of the hidden and illegal business dealings of the ruling Aliyev family and other government officials for which she is recognised internationally . Ismayilova is the recipient of Global Shining Award, the Gerd Bucerius Free Press of Eastern Europe Award, the Courage of Journalism Award, and named one of the Brave Thinkers of the world by Atlantic magazine . Was it a coincidence that Ismayilova's detention came just a day after the country's chief of staff, Ramiz Mehdiyev, accused Ismayilova of treason and being a foreign spy? Or that the radio station was raided and then closed in another few weeks time? In his 60-page diatribe on "Western Colonialism", Mehdiyev wrote:"Their main concern is lip service to their bosses abroad and keeping good relations with them . The example is Azadliq Radio's journalist Kahdija Ismayilova . Together with her colleague 'friends' she puts on anti-Azerbaijani shows, makes absurd statements, openly demonstrates destructive attitude towards well-known members of the Azerbaijani community, and spreads insulting lies . It is clear this sort of defiance pleases Ms Ismayilova's patrons abroad." He concluded:"Overall there is an understanding within the society that Azadliq Radio and its employees are on a disgusting path . There is no need to prove that provision of false information is the same as working for the foreign secret service . This is treason . This is what journalists and people with a healthy mindset would think . If the symbol of democracy is Khadija Ismayilova , then it is awful to imagine what future awaits the society." Siyavush Novruzov, an MP from the ruling party, agrees . In an interview with a local news site, Novruzov said:"Every place that works for foreign intelligence and the Armenian lobby should be searched." The Armenian lobby is just another popular tool used by government circles to punish dissent in Azerbaijan . Despite its support for Track Two diplomacy initiatives, Aliyev's regime was quick to accuse Leyla Yunus and Rauf Mirkadirov of treason and spying for Armenia this year . Both Yunus and Mirkadirov have been engaged in public diplomacy initiatives pressing for reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan for over a decade . The authorities were fully aware of their work for years . And yet ,  in what has been by far the most unprecedented year of crackdowns, Azerbaijan continues to maintain a steady relationship with Europe and the image of a transforming country, young and rich, and eager to spend so long as its critics keep quiet . With many of the country's prominent advocates, lawyers, and journalists in jail; independent media platforms under attack; and only a handful of international non-governmental organisations left in the country, there is little hope for the country's positive transformation anytime soon . So long as President Ilham Aliyev keeps saying there are no political prisoners and no limitations on freedom of speech in Azerbaijan- conjuring the illusion of a democratic country- little is going to change in this country .
[A]: For years, journalists in Azerbaijan have suffered harsh penalties for defending their freedom of speech- from prison sentences to interrogation and the confiscation of broadcasting equipment


[Q]: In the UK, we also can't breathe. A member of the "United Friends and Families Campaign" spoke to protesters about some of these cases, including that of a 40-year-old mother, Joy Gardner . Her only relation to Eric Garner, he explained, is that she, too, couldn't breathe after 13 feet of tape was wrapped in at least seven complete turns around her head . She fell into a coma and was pronounced dead four days later . Azelle Rodney, 24, was killed in 2005 . He was shot six times within two seconds of police officers ramming the vehicle in which he was travelling . His body was then left on the pavement for 16 hours - not unlike Mike Brown in the streets of Ferguson . Only after nearly 10 years of campaigning led by Rodney's mother, Susan Alexander, is an officer now facing a murder charge . Among those who addressed protesters was Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg . He died in police custody at the entrance to Brixton police station in 2008 after a violent arrest . Despite being clearly unwell, he had been handcuffed and left dying on the floor . A police officer, filmed on CCTV, said that he was "faking it" . Christopher Alder died while in police custody at Queen's Gardens Police Station in Kingston upon Hull . Having been taken to the station with a head injury, he was unresponsive when he was dragged from a police van . He lay on the floor of the custody suite for 11 minutes, CCTV footage shows, gasping for breath, with his hands cuffed behind him and his trousers round his ankles . A pool of blood formed around his mouth . Instead of being given medical attention, five police officers stood around commenting that he was "right as rain" and his agony was "just a show" . They even made monkey noises . Four years earlier in 1994, Shiji Lapite died after being placed in a police van in east London . A post-mortem found that Lapite had died of asphyxiation, suggesting that police officers had used a chokehold . But while the inquest into his death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing , the Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute the officers involved . In fact ,  no officer has been convicted over a death in police custody since 1969 , when the two Leeds police officers responsible for the death of David Oluwale, were found guilty of assault . Negative experiences of police treatment are a consistent feature of the lives of many people, especially those who are young, black and come from the working class . Families often suffer not just the initial news of the deaths of their loved ones in custody, but a concerted media campaign from the police smearing the reputations of the victim in the following weeks . The family of Mark Duggan weren't even informed of his death, instead finding out from TV news . And these deaths represent only the worst and most painful cases of police violence . Many "lesser" incidents go virtually unreported . Even when these are recorded- as was a London police officer's threat that "if you say one more fucking word, I'll smash your fucking Arab face in" to a 16-year-old teenager in 2005- officers never face serious charges . Since the Macpherson report of 1999, which famously pointed to "institutional racism" within the Met, there has been little evidence of structural or far- reaching change in the way the police are held accountable . As in other European countries, especially France, anger at the police in the UK has repeatedly boiled over into riots . The police killing of Duggan in 2011, which sparked the riots of that summer, is the clearest recent case . Eighty-five percent of participants in those riots who were questioned by the Reading the Riots study said policing was an "important" or "very important" factor in why the riots happened . They pointed to long histories of being subjected to humiliating stop-and- searches and beatings by the police , who were often described as operating like a "gang" . The common view is that there is little point in attempting recourse via the official police complaint procedures . This was confirmed by a recent investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches , which showed that just one percent of allegations of racism by members of the public against the police in England and Wales were upheld over an eight year period . And yet ,  despite our knowledge that experiences of police violence have led to riots, the reaction of successive British governments has been to implement ever-harsher policing, especially in black and working-class communities . This coincides with a continued police clampdown in Muslim communities that has generated widespread anger for its methods, including the manufacture of evidence against Muslim suspects and long imprisonment periods for writing Facebook posts . We demonstrated on December 10 not only to show solidarity with those in the US, but also to point to the similar struggles for justice that we are facing here in the UK . In the late evening, dozens of protesters were corralled in the cold for over an hour before being arrested, loaded onto two buses commandeered for the purpose, and driven to various police stations around London . Many were kept in the cold for hours before being led to holding cells . Many were released miles from home in the very early morning . There can be little doubt that this tactic of mass arrests, which is becoming more prominent, is aimed at dissuading future protest . Those arrested are given "interview" dates well into the future - often with stringent bail conditions - and warned about commenting publicly before this date . They are, as such, effectively gagged . There is no small irony in this response to a demonstration about police violence . But we have little intention of remaining silent . After decades of campaigning led by affected families, the movement for police accountability is developing new tactics and involving a growing number of young people who are determined to be the generation that sees change . Along with our friends in the US, we adopt Garner's words to the police as our slogan . This stops today .
[A]: A member of the "United Friends and Families Campaign" spoke to protesters about some of these cases, including that of a 40-year-old mother, Joy Gardner


[Q]: If Abbott is serious about tackling terrorism, cutting foreign aid is the worst way to go about it. In conjunction with the joint military action against Islamic State (Isis), Tony Abbott has pledged $5m in humanitarian aid for Iraq on his recent surprise visit to Baghdad . But don't be fooled by the government's apparent show of generosity - Australia isn't giving any more to foreign aid than it was before . In fact ,  it is giving significantly less . It is vitally important that we don't stop talking about recent cuts to foreign aid . The government's mid-year economic and fiscal outlook has reduced the foreign aid budget to the lowest levels in Australian history . Foreign aid spending has been cut by almost $3.7bn over four years . In addition to the $7.6bn already cut in May's federal budget, foreign aid has been cut by one quarter . If the government is serious about tackling terrorist threats and defending "universal values" , cutting off foreign aid to programmes that provide education, reduce poverty and improve gender equality is one of the worst ways to go about it . The Save Australian Aid campaign states that $11bn in foreign aid - the amount cut from the foreign aid budget in the past year - is the equivalent of 2 million children who may not be able to enrol in school, 1.4 million births without a birth attendant, 3.7 million children who may not receive vaccinations, 4.7 million people who will have reduced access to safe water, and almost 22 million people with reduced assistance in emergency situations . These cuts further perpetuate the idea that Australia is not a team player, a notion fuelled by our past behaviour towards our neighbours, and our recent denials of international obligations towards asylum seekers and climate change . In addition to the cuts in the Myefo, Australia backed out of commitments made to tax justice in the recent G20 summit . It is estimated that developing nations lose $160bn per year to corporate tax dodging; an amount that would end world hunger three times over . The G20 commitment, Abbott said, was "about the countries of the world, the people of the world, receiving the tax benefits that are their due and it's needed so that governments can fund the infrastructure and the services that people expect and deserve." As the host of the G20, backing out of this commitment not only damages our international credibility, but also has a huge impact on the developing world . The foreign aid cuts are irresponsible, but not surprising . Cutting the aid budget sends a clear message to our developing neighbours that Australia won't lend a helping hand unless it's in our own best interest . However ,  our politicians seem to forget that there is something in it for us, and not only in Iraq . Aid is much more than a humanitarian gesture ; it's a tool for regional development, trust and cooperation . Foreign aid programmes promote stability through education and equality, in turn reducing conflict . As an added bonus, foreign aid and sustainable development programmes create stronger economies , which in turn create opportunities at home and abroad . Poverty breeds hopelessness and despair , which are both contributing factors to extremist behaviour . Foreign aid is not the only factor in answering this issue , but it's more than a step in the right direction . Higher levels of foreign aid have the potential not to only alleviate extreme poverty in our region, but to raise international opinion of Australia as a fair country . A recent study examining the effects of foreign aid on foreign public opinion found that US aid programmes targeting HIV/Aids have improved perceptions of the US among the public in recipient countries . Australia would reap these benefits as a side effect of foreign aid, saving the millions of dollars set aside to "stop the boats" and wage a "war on terror" . But our government has, predictably, made yet another irresponsible decision with untold repercussions . While two innocent people died in Martin Place on 16 December in what has been labelled an act of terror , a reduction of this size in the foreign aid budget will result in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds across the globe due to reduced access to vital services . The high priority the Abbott government has placed on security doesn't come cheap, with funds for anti-terrorism programmes costing billions of dollars . Wouldn't this money be better spent reducing inequality, poverty, and conflict? Shouldn't we be stopping the problem at the source, not trying to cure the symptoms?
[A]:
the government is serious about tackling terrorist threats and defending "universal values" cutting off foreign aid to programmes that provide education, reduce poverty and improve gender equality is one of the worst ways to go about it