Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend K.Zarbaliyeva / One more opposition newspaper, Yukselish Namine (for progress) has temporarily ceased its activity due to pressure by the Executive Power of Sumgayt city.
The correspondent of the newspaper, Elchin Huseynov, reported to Trend that the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Elchin Mammadov, was asked to change the policy of the newspaper and they had blackmailed the editor-in-chief and the employees of the newspaper. Huseynov said that the decision to temporarily cease the newspaper's activity was made to protect the employees of the newspaper from any pressure.
The Head of the Executive Power's Department for Public Organizations, Seyfaddin Rahimov, said that the Executive Power does not pressurize any of the newspapers which are published in Sumgayt. "This information is groundless. Nobody can say that the Executive Power puts pressure on any newspaper or journalist," he said.
Rahimov said that he knows Mammadov well and personally met and spoke to Mammadov, but there was no pressure.
Together with 20 journalists from various other newspapers, Elchin Huseynov is also demanding political asylum abroad.
This year, newspapers Gundelik Azerbaijan, Realni Azerbaijan and Baki Kheber ceased their activity. The editors-in-chief of the newspapers and six journalists were imprisoned due to their professional activity.