Editor's note.: last paragraph was added
Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 29 /Trend, M.Aliyev/
The article published in the Washington Post about the premeditated murder of Elvis John Michael, the representative of the International Republican Institute in Baku, does not correspond to reality, the press service of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office reported.
The body of Elvis John, the US citizen, representative of Azerbaijan and Georgia program of the International Republican Institute, was found with signs of violence on it in H.Rzayeva street, 7, Baku at about 13:00 on Nov. 30, 2000. Criminal proceeding was initiated on the fact of murder on articles 120.2.4 and 120.2.5 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan Republic.
The main versions saying that Elvis John was killed for profit, as a result of the abnormal treatment towards the persons with non-traditional orientation, due to the political motives, by foreign intelligence services aiming to damage the US-Azerbaijan relations, by the members of the terrorist organizations carrying out terrorist operations against the US citizens were thoroughly investigated.
U.S. House of Representatives, FBI representation on the Caucasus and other organizations were informed about the results of the investigation. U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan organized examination of the material evidences, FBI experts, US embassy workers, experts of the Azerbaijani prosecutor's office, Internal Affairs and National Security discussed the investigative process, versions and results in details.
The investigators identified that Elvis John was killed not because of his political and labor activity, and there is a high probability that he was killed because of his intimate relations with the sexual minorities. But Peter Van Praagh ill-intentionally distorted the facts, as if he doesn't know those facts, and tried to describe it as a murder for his cooperation with the democratic forces.