Azerbaijan, Baku, August 21 / Trend /
A journalist who was extorting money by blackmail was arrested in Azerbaijan, says a statement by the Prosecutor General's Office.
Accorting to the statement, Prosecutor General's Office conducted an investigation of the information provided by the Press Council of Azerbaijan according to which the chief doctor of No.1 Derma-venereal dispensary Rashad Ismayilov has been blackmailed by the head of department of "Azad Azerbaijan" newspaper Vasif Pashayev. As a result, it was determined that on July 19, 2010 Vasif Pashayev, a 36-year-old Baku resident, came into Ismayilov's office, and showing him the journalist identity card with "Azad Azerbaijan" inscription, introduced himself as the head of department of "Azerbaijan" newspaper. Then, threatening to publish an article on the alleged offences occurred in the clinic, Pashayev asked 1,200 manat.
Ismayilov asked Pashayev to come the next day, explaining that he had not got such money on him. After Pashayev left Dispensary, Ismayilov contacted the newspaper "Azerbaijan", where he was informed that a man named Vasif Pashayev did not work there.
In addition, investigation of complaint received by the Khazar District Police Office, found that on Aug. 19, 2010 Vasif Pashayev came to No.9 home for the psychoneurological disabled and elderly citizens in Buzovna settlement of Khazar District, introduced himself as editor of "Vedi inform" newspaper and took 500 manat from director of the institution Adil Aliyeva for not publishing defamatory articles in several newspapers. Khazar District Police Office instituted criminal proceedings against Pashayev under article 182.1 (extortion) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan
A court ordered the arrest of Pashayev. During the interrogation, the journalist confessed to the crime.
Currently, the Khazar District Police Department is continuing the investigation into the case.