(CPJ/IFEX) – The following 15 September 1998 letter from CPJ to Azeri President Heidar Aliyev provides further details and a list of additional journalists harassed and beaten on 12 September in Baku. His Excellency Heidar Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku, Azerbaijan Fax: 011-99412-92-06-25 Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following 15 September 1998 letter from CPJ to Azeri
President Heidar Aliyev provides further details and a list of additional
journalists harassed and beaten on 12 September in Baku.
His Excellency Heidar Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan
Fax: 011-99412-92-06-25
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply troubled by the
September
12 beating and harassment of 34 journalists in Baku while they were covering
a
banned opposition rally that was broken up by police.
Police violently dispersed a crowd of several hundred opposition
demonstrators,
who had gathered to demand the cancellation of presidential elections on
October
11. Police beat and harassed the journalists, confiscating cameras, tape
recorders and press id cards, as they were covering the violence. At least
two
journalists were detained for several hours. The journalists who were
targeted
include: Azer Sariyev of Express, Tahir Mamedov and Rasul Mursaqulov of
Chag,
Rey Kerimoglu of Sharq, Azer Rashidoglu of Ayna, Faiq Qazanfaroglu of
Millet,
Elman Maliyev of Khurriyet, Mohammed Ersoy of Yurd Yeri, Ibrahim Niyazli of
Democratic Azerbaijan, Anar Mammadli of Azerbaijan Gencleri, Movsun Mammadov
of Monitor magazine, Khalig Bahadur, Ajdar, Haji Zamin and Sarvan Rizvanov
of
Azadliq, Elmir Suleymanov of ANS TV, Ilqar Shakhmaroglu, Nebi Rustamov,
Taghi
Yusifov and Shakhbaz Khuduoglu of Qanun magazine, Lachin Semra of
Mukhalifat,
Tahir Pasha and Natiq Javadli of Olaylar, Taptyg Farkhadoglu of the Turan
agency, Movlud Javadov, Kamil Taghisoy, Shakhin Jafarli, Sebukhi Mammadli,
Azer
Qarachanli and Zamina Aliqizi of Yeni Musavat, Eldaniz Badalov of Bu Gun,
Allakhverdi Donmez of Tezadlar, Mekhseti Sherif of Rezonans, and Tunzale
Rafiqqizi of Ana Veten.
Journalists reported that police also attempted to break in to the building
housing several opposition and independent news outlets, including the
newspapers Azadliq and Chag, and the Turan news agency.
As a non partisan organization dedicated to defending the universally
recognized
rights of our colleagues around the world, CPJ condemns this violent attack
by
Baku police against journalists for practicing their profession. This act of
police brutality and harassment, deliberately targeting reporters and news
photographers, violates all of your country’s international commitments to
ensure the rights of journalists to freely and safely practice their
profession.
This incident marks only the latest of many cases of police harassment of
journalists and abuses of press freedom in your country, which have fostered
a climate of fear and intimidation among the media. We urge you to
rigorously investigate this case and prosecute those responsible.
Thank you for your attention. We await your comments.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
