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Azerbaijani Court Rejects Imprisoned Chief Editor’s Claim against Foreign Minister

Society Materials 24 November 2008 16:00 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 24 November / Trend corr. S.Kazimli/ Azerbaijani court rejected a claim of the imprisoned chief editor of Gundalik Azerbaijan and Realni Azerbaijan newspapers against Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Eynulla Fatullayev, the chief editor, claimed that his rights were violated because the Minister did not answer to his information inquiry. The chief editor wanted the Minister to answer his inquiry.

Basing on Foreign Minister Mammadyarov's appeal to the National Security Minister, a lawsuit was filed on Fatullayev with the charge of challenge to terror. Foreign citizens and businessmen in Azerbaijan worried about the journalist's article under the title of Aliyevs Go to War and applied to the Foreign Minister on this matter, the Minister said. Therefore, Fatullayev sent an inquiry to Mammadyarov and asked to publicize names of the worried people.

Isakhan Ashurov, Fatullayev's lawyer, said that he would lodge appeal complaint on this case. Fatullayev was sentenced to 2.5-year imprisonment with the charge of slander on 20 April in 2007. Afterwards, new lawsuit was filed on the journalists in accordance with Articles 241.1(terrorism), 283.2.2 (national, racial or religious animosity through the use of his position) and 213.2.2 (tax evasion). He was sentenced eight and half-year imprisonment on 30 October in 2007.

The charge on threaten with terror was filed because of the article under the title of Aliyevs Go to War. The article reported that if Washington commences military operations against Tehran regime, Iran can realize missile attack to Azerbaijan. The article comprised a list of strategic properties, including possible targets of Iranian missiles, as well.

The European Court on Human Rights began examinations on Fatullayev's appeal on 9 September.

The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

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