Human Rights Watch said Azerbaijan should be suspended from a global transparency initiative on energy issues because of restrictive measures against NGOs. "Azerbaijan's government is squeezing activist groups to the breaking point while claiming to international audiences that it's a leader on open civic participation and good governance," Lisa Misol, a business researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement from New York. The rights group said it's frustrated by Azerbaijan's decision to enact measures that restrict the work of non-governmental organizations.