Family of the editor-in-chief of newspaper "Real Azerbaijan" is under pressure

One of the reasons for stopping the "Real Azerbaijan" newspaper was the pressure on the family of Einulla Fatullaev. The correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" learnt about it from the sources in Fatullaev's environment. By the words of the sources, Fatullaev was faced against an ultimatum: to leave the country or to live under the threat of death. According to the sources, the editor-in-chief has already left the country. We remind you that the day before Einulla Fatullaev made a decision to stop the "Real Azerbaijan" and quit journalism.

Mind that last week the court adjudged Fatullaev guilty of insulting the honour and dignity of Ramil Usubov, Minister of Internal Affairs, and sentenced to 2 delayed years of deprivation of freedom. Earlier Usubov stated pretty blankly that he knew who funded Fatullaev and who stands behind him, hinting to Fatullaev's ties with his opponents among former Interior Ministry employees who had moved to another power ministry.

Meanwhile, Joel Simon, Executive Director of the International Committee for Defense of Journalists, sent a message to Ilkham Aliev on the continuing persecution of journalists in Azerbaijan. The Committee for Defense of Journalists "is deeply concerned of active suppression of oppositional and independent journalism in Azerbaijan." The message mentioned the cases of Shakhin Agabeili, Einulla Fatullaev, Fikret Faramazoglu and Sakit Zakhidov. During the last three months, several state bureaucrats at the same time lodged "politicized" legal actions against them. The Head of the Interior only filed five suits with charges of defamation and insults. "We condemn this campaign and call you to make everything possible to put an end to it," the message runs.

As for the case of Sakit Zakhidov charged of drugs distribution, the prosecutor admitted at the trial that no evidences of his drug distribution had been revealed. However, he was asking the court to send Zakhidov behind the bars for three years. "The Committee for Defense of Journalists is asking you to undertake everything for forcing bureaucrats to stop criminal prosecution of the said journalists.

We are also demanding an immediate release of Agabeili and Zakhidov. We insist to withdraw the archaic defamation and libel articles out of the Criminal Code. The practice of democratic countries evidences that "the Civil Code grants a sufficient defence against any defamation and insults," the messages states.