No charges presented so far to editor-in-chief of the "Real Azerbaijan" newspaper

Einullah Fatullaev, editor-in-chief of the "Real Azerbaijan" newspaper who is kept at the pre-trial detention facility (SIZO) of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) has not been presented any charges. His advocate Aidyn Nazarli has also informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his client was interrogated twice as a witness, not as a defendant.

Let us note here that on April 20, 2007, Mr Fatullaev was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment on charges of writing a slanderous article about the Khodzhali tragedy. On May 16, the MNS of Azerbaijan initiated a criminal case against him under Article 214.1 (a threat by means of terrorism). Two days later, searches were made at the newspaper's office and Fatullaev's apartment, and the editor-in-chief himself was placed into the MNS' SIZO.

Meanwhile, the statement of the Helsinki Civil Assembly that came to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent expresses a serious concern in connection with the facts of beating and prosecution of journalists in Azerbaijan.

Today, 7 journalists are kept in custody, of them six persons - on accusations of slander and insults. Only in May this year, three popular opposition newspapers were stopped.

The fines imposed by the courts on newspapers in the period from January 2006 till June 2007 totalled to more than 0.5 million US dollars. The Helsinki Civil Assembly has recognized the journalists convicted in Azerbaijan to be the prisoners of conscience and demands their immediate release, the document notes.