22:23, 11 January 2019

Baku court refuses to close journalist Gadjibeili's case

Mustafa Gadjibeili. Photo: Azadliq Radiosu (RFE/RL)

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes has dismissed the petition to stop the case against Mustafa Gadjibeili, the editor-in-chief of the oppositional website. Mr Gadjibeili himself asserts that the charges are contrived.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Gadjibeili's website Bastainfo.com was blocked by the authorities after the publication about the attempted assassination of the head of the city of Ganja; and on November 30, 2018, Mustafa was accused of public appeals against the state, abuse of office and service forgery.

According to Gadjibeili, investigators' claims were caused by the phrase "Not willing to go to a sanctioned rally, the people are eager for an 'avenger'." "They saw a call to actions against the state in this phrase. In fact, it contains nothing of the sort. The essence of the article was that citizens should participate in legitimate peaceful actions, and not to approve violence," he has explained.

The editor-in-chief has emphasized that investigators have not yet demanded to remove the article from the website, but instituted a criminal case. "It's an absolutely customized case," Mr Gadjibeili is sure.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 11, 2019 at 06:08 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent