By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAKU, Azerbaijan – An Azerbaijani newspaper editor was sentenced on Tuesday to eight and a half years in prison over an article on Iran. The Court for Grave Crimes convicted Eynulla Fatullayev, the founder and editor of the now extinctReal Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Daily newspapers, on charges of terrorism, incitement of ethnic hatred and tax evasion. The decision came amid a steady rise in the Azerbaijan authorities’ harassment of independent press this year.
This is the second time Fatullayev has been brought to trial this year. In April, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for dubious libel charge.
His lastest trial focused on terrorism charge in which an article in Real Azerbaijan listed various facilities in Azerbaijan to be in danger of retaliation if the government chooses to support the American military action against Iran. Even though the former Soviet republic pledged that it will not assist U.S. in its operation, people along the border live with constant rumors over the possibility that the United States could use their territory to attack neighboring Iran. The charge of inciting racial hatred also derived from this article when he warned that this policy could revive ethnic tension within Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, Fatullayev was fined more than 200,000 Manat (approximately $235,000) for alleged tax evasion.
Fatullayev’s lawyer believes that neither the terrorism and its related charges nor the tax evasion charge can be substantiated with plausible evidence. Rights group around the globe also questions how the commentary could be construed as advocating ethnic hatred and warrants a criminal prosecution. In addition, his lawyer believes that reported calcuation behind the tax evasion charge was erroneous.
Fatullayev denounced the verdict as politically motivated. Fatullayev is known in Azerbaijan for his frequent criticism of the government. Consequently, he has been a victim of harassment and intimidation for many years. His father was once kidnapped and the kidnappers threatened to kill both Fatullayev and his father unless he stopped publishing his newspapers. His father was eventually released, but the kidnappers remained at large. Fatullayev and his family also received many death threats but Azerbaijan authorities refused to investigate these claims.
A US based rights organization rated that Azerbaijan is among the world’s worst ten states for press freedom.
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – Azerbaijan editor jailed over article – 1 November 2007
Amnesty International – Prisoner of conscience sentenced to a further eight and a half years’ imprisonment – 1 November 2007
Reporters Without Borders – Long jail term for newspaper editor confirms Azerbaijan’s poor ranking in world press freedom index – 31 October 2007
Human Rights Watch – Outspoken editor sentenced to eight years and six months – 30 October 2007
Reuters – Azeri court quadruples jailed reporter’s sentence – 30 October 2007
