Azerbaijan

(RSF/IFEX) – According to RSF, on 1 September, Tale Hamid, the editor of the independent newspaper “Mustagil” was beaten by four policemen near the building of the State Committee, an hour and a half before the cortege of President Heidar Haliyev was due to pass along this highway. The journalist was driving along the highway […]

(GDF/IFEX) -According to GDF, on 15 August 1998 in Baku (the capital city) and Gyanja, during the officially-approved meeting of the opposition, police blocked at least seven journalists from performing their professional duties. Although the journalists presented their press cards, Mustafa Gajily (spelled Hajibeyli in IFEX alert of 20 August) and Aidyn Bagirov of the […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 20 August 1998, RSF reported the recent harassment of several journalists. On 15 August, Sakhil Kerimli, the correspondent for “7 Gyun”, and Mustafa Hajibeyli and Aydyn Bagirov, employees of the newspaper “25”, were arrested and their films destroyed by police while covering a picket in front of the building of (the) Mayoralty, […]

**For background information, see IFEX alerts of 15 January 1998, 31 July 1997, 9 December 1996, 6 August 1996 (CPJ/IFEX) – According to information made availably on 31 July 1998, an advisor to Azerbaijan’s president Heidar Aliyev has confirmed to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that the leader of the oil-rich nation has pledged to […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On the evening of 16 June 1998, on the orders of the Deputy Prosecutor of the Republic, policemen searched for weapons in the editorial offices of the newspaper “Chag”, in Baku. Although none were found, Bahaddin Haziyev, editor of the newspaper, Tair Mamedev, deputy editor, and Amaliya Seidova, a computer employee, were brought […]

(RSF/IFEX) – According to information made available by RSF on 27 May 1998, on the afternoon of 25 May 1998, Rauf Arifogly, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Yeni Musavat”, was summoned to the office of Baku prosecutor Huseyn Alihanov. During a two-hour interrogation, the journalist had to explain the contents of the May issues of “Yeni […]

(RSF/IFEX) – According to information released by RSF on 20 May 1998, Elmar Huseinov, editor-in-chief of the magazine “Monitor”, has been subjected to legal harassment by the Azerbaijani authorities. On 16 May 1998, two officers from the Baku police department went to Huseinov’s house and asked him to follow them to the police station for […]

(RSF/IFEX) – According to information released by RSF on 12 May 1998, on 8 May, outside the Azerbaijani parliament, Milli Mejlis, five reporters were detained with other demonstrators while covering a picket protesting against a draft law on presidential elections. The following journalists were detained: Mubariz Zeynalli of “Panorama”, Mustafa Gajili of “525 Gazeta”, Ragib […]

(RSF/IFEX) – According to information released by RSF on 29 April 1998, journalists working for the magazine “Monitor” have been harassed and an issue of the magazine has been seized. On 12 April 1998, Interior Minister Usubov sent a letter to the “Monitor”‘s editorial office to demand a refutation of an article about torture, which […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – Savalan Mamedov, chief editor of the weekly “Istintag” newspaper in Baku, was freed from prison on 23 January 1998. Mamedov, who was arrested on 22 December 1997 (see IFEX alert), still faces trial on criminal libel charges against a former district prosecutor. According to the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan, Mamedov is charged […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia today to respect the right to a free press accorded citizens in democracies and to provide guarantees enabling journalists there to work freely and safely, without fear of reprisal. “Censorship continues to plague journalists in Azerbaijan, where it […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – On 8 January 1998, CPJ expressed concern at the 22 December 1997 arrest of Salavan Mamedov, editor of the weekly newspaper “Istintag”. According to CPJ’s colleagues from Yeni Nesil, the independent association of journalists in Azerbaijan, Mamedov was charged with criminal libel under Article 121 of the Azeri Penal Code for allegedly making […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 22 December 1997, Hasan Hasanov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, allegedly described a Turan news agency report on his speech delivered at an OSCE meeting in Copenhagen as “anti-governmental” in nature. The speech in question dealt with the Karabakh conflict. According to Mr. Hasanov, the independent agency is “engaged in active anti-Azerbaijan propaganda.” […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 15 November 1997, the chairman of a Russian firm, Sahavat Kerimov, injured Elman Teymuroglu, correspondent for the newspaper “Haggin Sadasi”, by driving a steel fountain pen into his eye. The businessman, irritated by an article about him in which he was accused of fraud under the guise of a charitable activity, had […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 19 September 1997, Minister of Mass Media and Information Sirus Tebrizli decided to ban the newspaper “Forum”. The first issues of the paper had come out on 12 September but were withdrawn from sale two days later on the order of Tebrizli. During a meeting between “Forum” founder and editor-in-chief Safar Alisharli […]

In a 1 August letter to Azeri President Haidar Aliev, CPJ expressed concern at the recent closure of “Avrazia” (see previous IFEX alert of 6 August), and at recent press reports of censorship exercised by both the government’s Committee for the Protection of Secrets and by the President’s office. **For background to “Avrazia” closure, see […]