The Baku Appellate Court rejected the editor's appeal against the verdict to prolong his detention for two more months.
(IRFS/IFEX) – On 12 March 2010 in the Baku Appellate Court, under the chairmanship of judge Jamal Ramazanov, the appeal of the editor-in-chief of “Gundelik Azerbaijan” and “Realniy Azerbaijan” newspapers, Eynulla Fatullayev, against the verdict of the Garadag District Court to prolong his detention in the Baku Investigative Prison for two more months, was not fulfilled. Fatullayev’s lawyer Elchin Sadigov reported the news to the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS).
On 29 December 2009, 0.223 grams heroin was found on Fatullayev. Eynulla Fatullayev and his lawyer assess this incident as an operation set up to postpone the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), regarding the journalist, in the near future. A criminal case was opened against Fatullayev in the Garadag District Investigative Department under article 234.1 of the Criminal Code (Illegal purchase or storage without a purpose of selling of narcotics or psychotropic substances in a quantity exceeding that necessary for personal consumption) and he was transferred to the Baku Investigative Prison #2 on 2 January.
Eynulla Fatullayev was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment on 21 April 2007 for insulting honor and dignity. Later he was convicted under articles 214.1 (threatening terror), 283.2.2 (incitement of ethnic/national, social or religious hatred abusing authority), and 213.2.2 (tax evasion) of the Criminal Code and was sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment on 30 October 2007. Prior to the new charge against him, Fatullayev was serving his sentence in prison #12.
The weekly “Realniy Azerbaijan” and the daily “Gundelik Azerbaijan” were first published in 2005. Eynulla Fatullayev established the newspapers and was the editor-in chief of both publications. The newspapers ceased their activity after Fatullayev’s arrest in 2007.
