Azerbaijan, Baku, 3 June / Trend corr. K.Zarbaliyeva / The Appeal extended by Eynulla Fatullayev, the chief editor of the Gundalik Azerbaijan and Realniy Azerbaijan newspapers, was not approved by the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan.
On 26 March, Eynulla Fatullayev, chief editor of the Gundalik Azerbaijan and Realniy Azerbaijan newspapers, went on a hunger strike demanding objective consideration of his case, release of the arrested journalists and concrete protection measures to be applied by the Council of Europe and OSCE.
Fatullayev, editor-in-chief of the Gundalik Azerbaijan and Realni Azerbaijan newspapers, was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison by the decision of the Heinous Crimes Court on 30 October 2007. The sentence was read in the Heinous Crimes Court of Azerbaijan on 30 October 2007. Fatullayev was charged of terrorism (violating Article 214.1 of Azerbaijani Criminal Code), hostility (Article 283.2.2) and tax evasion (Article 213.2.2). Fatullayev allegedly did not pay tax worth AZN 242,522. Fatullayev was also charged as a result of articles published in his newspapers by the lawsuit of Tatyana Chaladzeh, head of the State Committee on Refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDP) on 20 April.
Isakhan Ashurov, attorney of chief editor, stated that the court retained the decision made by the Appeal Court of Baku.
Thethree detained journalists held in Azerbaijan are Ganimat Zahid, chief editor of Azadlig newspaper, Mirza Sakit, a journalist of Azadlig newspaper, and Eynulla Fatullayev, chief editor of Gundalik Azerbaijan and Realni Azerbaijan newspapers
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