5 March 2007

Alert

Two years on, journalist's murderers still at large; colleagues skeptical of "confession" from detained former Interior Ministry officer


Incident details

Elmar Huseynov

journalist(s)

killed
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 March 2007 CPJ press release:

Azerbaijani journalist's murderers remain at large on second anniversary

New York, March 1, 2007 - Two years after the contract-style assassination of opposition editor Elmar Huseynov, his murderers remain at large.

When Huseynov, an editor and founder of the newsweekly Monitor, was gunned down in his Baku apartment building on March 2, 2005, President Ilham Aliyev called the murder a "provocation against the Azerbaijani state" and an "act of terrorism." But despite these strong terms, investigators have made no arrests and reported no progress in the case.

"After two years, Elmar Huseynov's killers are still at large," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Failure to bring them to justice is fueling widespread self-censorship among independent and opposition journalists."

A month after the killing, officials identified two Georgian citizens as suspects but never provided enough evidence to persuade Georgia to extradite them. Without a follow-up, the trail grew cold. Last July, a former Azerbaijani Interior Ministry officer, detained and tried on different charges, confessed to abetting in Huseynov's assassination.

But Huseynov's colleagues remain skeptical about this allegation, citing the abruptness of the revelation and pressure on inmates in Azerbaijani prisons, that can force "anyone to confess to anything," explained Shahla Ismailova of the Baku-based Human Rights House. It was unclear if authorities were going to follow up on the reported confession.

A harsh critic of President Aliyev and his administration, Huseynov had endured scores of politicized lawsuits, tax inspections, and suspensions during his publication's six-year existence. The Monitor closed down after his murder.

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



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More on this case

Seven years on, still no justice for Elmar Huseynov 2 March 2012 Three additional suspects identified in Elmar Huseynov murder case 16 May 2011 On fifth anniversary of editor's murder, ARTICLE 19 calls for redoubling of efforts to bring perpetrators to justice 3 March 2010 Editor receives death threat after report on colleague's murder 8 March 2007 Prosecutor says evidence links imprisoned former minister to journalist's murder 10 August 2006 Ex-officer says he plotted editor's murder; some are skeptical 28 July 2006 Investigators name chief suspect in murder of opposition editor 5 May 2005 Arrests in opposition editor's murder met with suspicion 12 April 2005 Editor of opposition weekly gunned down 3 March 2005

At a glance

Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan

IFEX members working in this country 2

 
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