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September 15, 1998
His Excellency Heidar Aliyev
Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply troubled by the September 12 beating and harassment of 34 journalists in Baku while they were covering a banned opposition rally that was broken up by police. Police violently dispersed a crowd of several hundred opposition demonstrators, who had gathered to demand the cancellation of presidential elections on October 11. Police beat and harassed the journalists, confiscating cameras, tape recorders and press id cards, as they were covering the violence. At least two journalists were detained for several hours. The journalists who were targeted include:
Journalists reported that police also attempted to break in to the building housing several opposition and independent news outlets, including the newspapers Azadliq and Chag, and the Turan news agency. As a non partisan organization dedicated to defending the universally recognized rights of our colleagues around the world, CPJ condemns this violent attack by Baku police against journalists for practicing their profession. This act of police brutality and harassment, deliberately targeting reporters and news photographers, violates all of your country's international commitments to ensure the rights of journalists to freely and safely practice their profession. This incident marks only the latest of many cases of police harassment of journalists and abuses of press freedom in your country, which have fostered a climate of fear and intimidation among the media. We urge you to rigorously investigate this case and prosecute those responsible. Thank you for your attention. We await your comments.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper Executive Director Add Your Voice to CPJ's
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