Supreme Court upholds Azerbaijani editor’s prison sentence
New York, August 24, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the continued imprisonment of Eynulla Fatullayev, editor of the now-shuttered Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily Gündalik Azarbaycan. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan upheld Fatullayev’s 30-month prison sentence on charges of defaming Azerbaijanis in an article. Fatullayev has been held in…
Killing the Messenger
Dozens of journalists are murdered every year to silence reports of human rights abuses, criminal enterprise and government corruption Joe Piaseckii Pasadena Weekly, Cover Story August 10, 2007 What would you be willing to die for? Anna Politskovskaya was slain simply for telling the truth.
To mark Press Day, CPJ urges release of jailed Azerbaijani journalists
New York, July 20, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to mark the country’s National Press Day on Sunday by releasing the seven journalists jailed in the nation’s prisons. Azerbaijan is the region’s leading jailer of journalists and one of the world’s worst backsliders on press freedom, CPJ research shows.
Appellate court ratifies prison sentence of Senet journalists
New York, July 9, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Friday’s decision by an Azerbaijani appellate court in Baku to uphold the convictions of two independent journalists on charges of insulting Islam in a November commentary. On May 4, Judge Yusif Kerimov of Sabail District Court in Baku convicted Editor-in-Chief Samir Sadagatoglu and writer Rafiq…
Prosecutors say no foul play in Ivan Safronov’s death
New York, July 6, 2007—The independent business daily Kommersant reported that Moscow prosecutors have ruled out foul play in the March death of its reporter, Ivan Safronov. Prosecutors have not found any link between the military correspondent’s recent work and his fall from a window in his apartment building, the newspaper said. Investigators continue to…
Security ministry hits opposition editor with new charges
New York, July 5, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores the continued persecution of Eynulla Fatullayev, imprisoned editor of the Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily Gündalik Azarbaycan, and that of his staff. The Ministry of National Security (MNB) brought a new criminal charge of incitement to ethnic and religious hatred against Fatullayev…
Russian investigators eye ’private life’ motive in Safronov probe
New York, May 21, 2007—Russian authorities are believed to be focusing on Kommersant reporter Ivan Safronov’s private life as the likely motive in his mysterious death in March, several Russian news outlets reported over the weekend. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities today to give thorough consideration to Safronov’s sensitive professional work as…