May 7, 1999
His Excellency Mohammad Khatemi
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express its grave concern about the reported arrest of Azeri journalist Qanimat Zahidov in northern Iran.
Zahidov, editor in chief for the Baku-based daily Ekspress Gazeta, disappeared on May 3, 1999, while on his way home from a reporting trip to northern Iran. According to reports in the Azeri press, Zahidov was detained on May 3 by Iranian customs authorities in Astara on the Iranian-Azerbaijan border while en route to Azberbaijan. Zahidov’s tape recorder and other personal materials were reportedly confiscated. Iranian authorities are ignoring all inquiries from Baku regarding his fate, according to the independent Turan news agency.
According to staff members at Ekspress Gazeta, Zahidov had conducted an interview with dissident university professor Mahmudali Johragani, a professor at Tabriz University who is known to support the rights of the Azeri minority in Iran. Zahidov had phoned his newspaper on May 3, informing colleagues that he was returning to Baku on the same day. He has not been seen since.
CPJ, a nongovernmental organization of journalists devoted to upholding press freedom worldwide, is deeply alarmed by Qanimat Zahidov’s disappearance and strongly urges Your Excellency to immediately initiate efforts to determine his whereabouts and make them public. If Zahidov is being held by Iranian authorities, we urge his immediate and unconditional release unless it can be shown that he has committed a criminal offense recognized under international law.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your prompt reply.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
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His Excellency Mohammad Khatemi
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran