24 May 2007

Alert

Imprisoned editor Eynulla Fatullayev charged with terrorism; his home searched, his newspaper's computers, documents confiscated


Incident details

Eynulla Fatullayev

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 May 2007 CPJ press release:

In Azerbaijan, new charge filed against imprisoned editor

New York, May 22, 2007 - Azerbaijani authorities have filed a terrorism charge against Eynulla Fatullayev, the imprisoned editor of the independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily Gundalik Azarbaycan, in the latest government action against the journalist and his publications. Fatullayev, a persistent government critic, is already in prison on a specious defamation charge and has received multiple death threats. Over the weekend, government officials sealed his newspapers' offices.

National Security Ministry spokesperson Arif Babayev announced today that Fatullayev had been charged under Article 214 of the criminal code with calling for terrorist actions, the news Web site Day reported. If convicted on that count, Fatullayev would face up to 12 years in prison, according to Emin Huseynov, chairman of the local press group Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety (IRFS).

The National Security Ministry accused Fatullayev, who has covered the ongoing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia extensively, of assisting Armenian Special Forces, according to local press reports. The ministry did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged assistance.

National Security agents today conducted an hours-long search of the editor's home and the papers' offices. The offices were sealed on Sunday after fire officials alleged that the building housing the publications was in violation of fire safety regulations. Agents confiscated all of the papers' 21 computers in today's search, IRFS reported ( http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/europe/azer21may07na.html ). The independent Turan news agency said agents also seized notebooks and other documents.

Fatullayev had drawn threats from Azerbaijani nationalists after he traveled in February 2005 to Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan, to interview leaders of the region's unrecognized government. Last month, Fatullayev was sentenced to 30 months in prison for defaming refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh in a remark posted on the Internet ( http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/europe/azer20apr07na.html ). Fatullayev told CPJ in March he never made the comment and that the case had been manufactured to silence him.

"Not content with having jailed Eynulla Fatullayev on a spurious libel charge, the authorities in Azerbaijan have now brought a vague terrorism charge that could keep him behind bars for another 12 years," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Without supporting evidence, this indictment seems to be the latest step in a relentless onslaught by the authorities to silence critical media and journalists. We call on the prosecution to withdraw this charge immediately."

Gundalik Azarbaycan editor Uzeyir Jafarov told CPJ the staff intended to continue publishing the newspapers.

Realny Azerbaijan is the successor of the opposition weekly Monitor, which was shut down after the unsolved March 2005 assassination of its editor, Elmar Huseynov ( http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/europe/azer01mar07na.html ). Both Realny Azerbaijan and Gundalik Azarbaycan are known for their critical reporting and are widely read in Azerbaijan. In March of this year, Fatullayev received a death threat after accusing Azerbaijani officials of involvement in Huseynov's killing ( http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/europe/azer07mar07na.html ). The threats have continued even while Fatullayev has been in prison.

According to CPJ research, Azerbaijan is one of the world's worst backsliders on press freedom and the leading jailer of journalists in the region ( http://www.cpj.org/backsliders/index.html ). High-ranking government officials have suppressed critical voices by filing criminal defamation lawsuits, lodging spurious drug charges, and imprisoning independent and opposition journalists.

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.cpj.org



Source

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (@) cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
 

More on this case

Eynulla Fatullayev's appeal rejected 18 March 2010 Eynulla Fatullayev and family threatened 18 March 2010 Imprisoned editor concerned over possible threat to his life 3 March 2010 Editor's detention prolonged by two more months 1 March 2010 CPJ delegation calls for Eynulla Fatullayev's release 22 January 2010 Editor to be tried on new charge, sentenced to two months' detention in isolation unit 6 January 2010 Authorities trump up new charge against award-winning editor Eynulla Fatullayev 31 December 2009 Detained journalist harassed in prison 27 October 2008 Supreme Court upholds editor's conviction 4 June 2008 Imprisoned editor starts hunger strike to protest jailing of journalists 26 March 2008 Appeals court upholds conviction of critical editor 17 January 2008 Outspoken editor Eynulla Fatullayev sentenced to eight and a half years in prison 30 October 2007 Supreme Court upholds editor's prison sentence 27 August 2007 New terrorism charge brought against opposition editor already serving 30-month sentence for defamation 6 July 2007 Imprisoned editor Eynulla Fatullayev receives death threats, inhumane treatment; his conviction confirmed 8 June 2007 Fifteen journalists seek political asylum in protest against closure of newspapers 29 May 2007 Imprisoned editor target of death threat; two newspapers evicted amid media harassment campaign 22 May 2007 Editor of critical newspaper brutally beaten after protesting conviction of colleague 24 April 2007 Embattled editor jailed for libel and insult over article he denies writing 23 April 2007

Azerbaijan

Eynulla Fatullayev's appeal rejected 18 March 2010 Eynulla Fatullayev and family threatened 18 March 2010 Appeals court upholds sentences against two bloggers 16 March 2010 On fifth anniversary of editor's murder, ARTICLE 19 calls for redoubling of efforts to bring perpetrators to justice 3 March 2010 Imprisoned editor concerned over possible threat to his life 3 March 2010


 
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