Azerbaijan, Baku, 8 May / corr. Trend К.Zarbaliyevа / The lawyers of Ilqar Nasibov, the regional correspondent of Radio Liberty in Nakhchivan appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyers of the journalist consider the verdict made on the basis of the lawsuit of Sabuhi Novruzov, the head of the Nakhchivan Police Department controversy to the law.
Ilqar Nasibov and his wife Malahat Nasibova have been subjected to pressures and insults by the police because of their media report about the demolition of one of the trade centres in Nakhchivan in November 2007.
Nasibov also sent an e-mail appeal to the Azerbaijani President's official website. Following this letter Sabuhi Novruzov, the head of Police Department appealed the Nakhchivan Public Prosecutor's Office to bring an action against the case, considering the facts mentioned as slander. The Public Prosecutor's Office sent the lawsuit to the court, which sentenced 3-month imprisonment of Nasibov in accordance with Article 147 of the Criminal Code.
Nasibov's appeal was not fulfilled. Taking into consideration Novruzov's recall of his appeal, the court decided to stop the execution.
Meanwhile, lawyers think that the sentence made on Novruzov's accusations violates Nasibov's rights for freedom of expression (Article 10) and fair investigation (Article 6), specified in the European Convention of Human Rights. The appeal to the European Court of Human Rights requests to recognize the violation of Nasibov's rights and to compensate moral damage.
The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]