About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

Alert

Imprisoned journalist joins independent media hunger-strikers

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders reiterated its support for a two-week-old hunger strike by a group of journalists and press freedom activists after imprisoned journalist Sakit Zahidov, who received a three-year sentence in October 2006, announced on 23 November he was joining the protest against government threats to the independent media.

"The hunger strike is [a] drastic method of protest that shows how difficult the situation has become for Azerbaijan's independent media," the press freedom organisation said. "We are worried about the state of health of several of the hunger strikers, including Sakit Zahidov's brother Ganimat, editor-in-chief of the opposition daily "Azadlig", who was adamant in his refusal when asked by the Union of Journalists to call off his strike."

Reporters Without Borders added: "We extend out support to the hunger strikers and the independent media, and we call on the Azeri government to put an end to the harassment that forced this protest on them."

The hunger strikers include representatives of the newspapers "Azadlig", "Milli Yol", "Yeni Musavat", "Bizin Yol", "Novoye Vremya" and "24 Saat", the magazine "Ganun" and the news agency Turan. Protests by journalists and opponents of President Ilham Aliev have swelled in recent weeks after a series of press freedom violations.

The hunger strike was prompted by a government decision to evict the leading opposition newspaper, "Azadlig", the independent television station ANS TV and Turan from their premises. The protesters say they are fighting for "Elmar Husseynov's dream of liberty and democracy." Husseynov, the former editor-in-chief of the opposition weekly "Monitor", was gunned down in Baku on 2 March 2005 (see alerts of 10 August, 28 July and 28 February 2006, 5 May, 12 April and 2 March 2005).

Arrested on 23 June, writer and journalist Sakit Zahidov was sentenced on 4 October, at the end of a chaotic trial, to three years in prison for "possession of drugs for personal consumption." Zahidov has always insisted that the police planted the heroin they claimed to have found in his clothes. A court is due to begin hearing his appeal on 1 December.