Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr K. Zarbaliyeva / The chairman of Azerbaijan Anti-torture Committee, Elchin Behbudov, met with the imprisoned Editor-in-Chief of the Gundalik Azerbaijan and the Realny Azerbaijan newspapers, Eynulla Fatullayev.
According to Behbudov, he became familiar with the prison conditions and health of the jailed journalist who is kept in the Investigation Cell of the Azerbaijan National Security Ministry (NSM). The journalists had no complaints about the conditions of the prison or his health. According to Behbudov, Fatullayev is allowed out once a week to take up a one-hour sport in a gym and he also receives the Eco and the Zerkalo newspapers every day.
Last week Fatullayev said he had a 2-hour meeting with the CE Commissar on Human Rights, Thomas Hummerberg.
Fatullayev was charged by Tatiana Chaladzeh, the director of the Centre for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons' Rights Protection, in compliance with Article 147 of the Criminal Code (calumny) and was sentenced by Baku City Yasamal District Court to 2? years imprisonment.
The plaintiff accused Fattulayev of offending Khojaly refugees in his article 'Karabakh Diary'. The decision of the court was upheld by the Court of Appeal. According to Fatullayev, the statements in his article were the views of his interlocutors.
On 20 April, Fatullayev was transmitted from Bail Investigation Cell 1 to Investigation Cell of the NSM. On 16 May, National Security Ministry initiated a criminal case in compliance with Article 214 (threat of terrorism) of the Criminal Code. Later the journalist was accused of spreading national, racial and religious hatred with abuse of power, as well as tax evasion.
On the same day Behbudov met with the Director of the Centre for the Fight Against International Terrorism and Corruption, political scientist Rovshan Novruzoghlu in the NSM's Investigation Cell. Novruzoghlu did not allow Behbudov to divulge the details of the meeting to the press.
Novruzoghlu has been charged with contravening Article 320.1 (forgery of certificate or other official documents), Article 320.2 (use of deliberately forged documents), and Article 310 (misappropriation of power). He was arrested for swindling and falsely pretending to be an employee of the Department on Fight against Corruption and an employee of the Prosecutor's Office.