On December 22, Salavan Mamedov, editor of the Baku weekly Istintag, was arrested and imprisoned. He was charged with libel (article 121 of the Azerbaijani penal code) against the former Prosecutor of the Lenkoran district, Nazim Tagiev. In a number of articles Mamedov claimed that Tagiev had cooperated with Alikram Gumbatov, who was convicted of treason and attempting to stage an uprising. According to Yeni Nesil, Mamedov was released from police custody on January 23, 1998. Court hearings have not yet been scheduled. Mamedov could serve a sentence of up to five years if he is found guilty.