8 June 2007

Alert

Imprisoned editor Eynulla Fatullayev receives death threats, inhumane treatment; his conviction confirmed


Incident details

Eynulla Fatullayev

editor(s)

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 June 2007 CPJ press release:

CPJ urges Azerbaijan to end persecution of imprisoned editor

New York, June 7, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on Azerbaijani authorities to release an editor imprisoned on libel charges who says he has been denied food and water, and has received death threats.

Eynulla Fatullayev, editor of the independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the weekly Azeri-language daily Gündalik Azarbaycan, told presiding judge Hamid Hamidov that he has been kept in inhumane conditions since his transfer to the National Security Prison from the Bailov Prison in Baku on May 29.

"For nine days, I have been hungry and thirsty," Fatullayev was quoted as saying by the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety, a local press freedom group. The journalist has been forced to sleep on an iron bed without a mattress and has received multiple death threats from unknown persons, according to the Moscow-based news agency Regnum and local press reports.

The judge upheld his libel conviction in the court session Wednesday. CPJ called on Azerbaijani authorities to investigate the threats and release Fatullayev from prison.

"The Azerbaijani government jailed Eynulla Fatullayev on a spurious libel charge, then filed a vague terrorist charge against him, and harassed and intimidated his staff to the point they could no longer work. Now they have forced him to suffer while in their custody," said Joel Simon, CPJ's Executive Director. "We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to end their relentless persecution of a critical journalist and release Eynulla immediately."

National Security Ministry spokesperson Arif Babayev dismissed the journalist's statements, calling them a "subjective opinion," the news Web site Lenta reported. "Former ministers have served time in our cells and they didn't complain," Lenta quoted Babayev as saying.

In April, Fatullayev was sentenced to 30 months in prison on charges of libeling and insulting Azerbaijanis by saying in an Internet posting that Azerbaijanis were responsible for the 1992 massacre of residents of Khodjali, a town in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan. In a March interview with CPJ, Fatullayev said he never made the Khodjali statement, which was later posted on other Web sites.

Authorities filed an additional charge of terrorism against Fatullayev on May 22. Government officials claim the journalist, a persistent government critic, assisted Armenian Special Forces, but they have not elaborated on the charge, according to CPJ sources and local press reports. The new charges came only days after fire officials sealed the papers' offices, claiming the building housing the publications violated fire safety regulations.

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
 

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More on this case

Journalist Eynulla Fatullayev granted amnesty in honour of 28 May holiday 27 May 2011 Joint appeal to UNESCO director-general over Fatullayev case 4 May 2011 Government claims to have complied with ECHR judgment on Fatullayev case 4 May 2011 "Fifty Fatullayevs" outside London Embassy demand release of jailed Azerbaijani journalist 19 April 2011 Family of imprisoned journalist receives threatening phone call 13 April 2011 CPJ concerned about Fatullayev's safety, calls for his release 23 March 2011 Council of Europe Committee of Ministers must demand journalist's release, says International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan 2 March 2011 Fatullayev fears for his safety in prison 11 February 2011 Baku Appeals Court denies Fatullayev's appeal, defies ECHR ruling 3 February 2011 Supreme Court rejects imprisoned editor's appeal 3 January 2011 Council of Europe Committee calls on government to release Eynulla Fatullayev 8 December 2010 Fatullayev's fate lies with the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, says ARTICLE 19 6 December 2010 Editor Eynulla Fatullayev remains jailed despite ECHR call for his release 12 November 2010 In latest humiliation, newspaper editor appears in court inside cage 8 November 2010 Send a letter in support of jailed editor 29 October 2010 Joint letter calls for newspaper editor's release 28 October 2010 ECHR upholds decision on release of Eynulla Fatullayev 21 October 2010 Authorities say imprisoned journalist will not be freed regardless of appeal outcome 22 July 2010 Imprisoned editor sentenced to an additional two and a half years in prison 7 July 2010 IRFS appeals to president as imprisoned editor starts hunger strike 7 June 2010 Comply with European Court decision on case of imprisoned journalist, ARTICLE 19, International PEN urge 19 May 2010 Authorities urged to comply with ECHR order and release editor Eynulla Fatullayev 23 April 2010 European Court of Human Rights orders journalist's release 23 April 2010 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 Fifteen journalists seek political asylum in protest against closure of newspapers 29 May 2007 Imprisoned editor Eynulla Fatullayev charged with terrorism; his home searched, his newspaper's computers, documents confiscated 24 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

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