Full letter of concern sent to authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the right.
Idrak Abbasov, a reporter of the newspaper Zerkalo and of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS), was beaten by security guards of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) whilst filming the confrontation between the residents of the settlement of Sulutepe on the outskirts of Baku and SOCAR, which is in charge of demolishing irregular homes in the area.
Idrak Abbasov was wearing clear journalist identification when he was approached by the security guards and consecutively beaten up during 5 to 7 minutes. The journalist – unconscious, coughing up blood, with many bruises and hematomas – was taken to the hospital. According to doctors, his present state of health is very poor and he suffers from serious head and body traumas. His brother, Adalat Abbasov and a female journalist Gunay Musayeva were also assaulted.
Gunay Musayeva, a journalist of Yeni Musavat and a witness of this attack on Idrak Abbasov, was also assaulted by SOCAR when she was filming the demolition and when she tried to help Idrak Abbasov. Three other journalists – Esmira Javadova, from Radio Liberty, Elnur Mammadov and Qalib Hasanov, both from IRFS – who arrived to the demolition site to report on the attacks against their colleagues, were all attacked by security guards and the windows of their taxi were smashed.
These attacks are the latest in a series of attacks on journalists in Azerbaijan since March 2012, including a smear campaign that was launched against the investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, which involves the publication of pictures and a film of intimate nature posted on the Internet on 14 March aiming at intimidating this independent journalist.
Therefore partner and member NGOs of the Human Rights House Network and the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders urge inter alia the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan:
- To conduct a full, transparent and impartial investigation into the attack against Idrak Abbasov as well as into other cases of harassment and attacks against journalists in Azerbaijan;
- To bring authors of harassment and attacks against journalists to justice in fair and open trials.
Documents:
- Letter of concern violence against journalists (April 2012)
- In solidarity with Khadija Ismayilova
- Running scared: Azerbaijan’s silenced voices
- Azerbaijan raised by HRHF at United Nations Human Rights Council
- Human rights online and offline: discussion on freedom of expression on Internet at United Nations Human Rights Council
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“The most recent attack against journalists perpetrated by the security staff of a state-owned oil company is yet another sign that freedom of expression in Azerbaijan is under attack.”
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The Azerbaijani authorities must launch an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the brutal attack on investigative journalist Idrak Abbasov and the assault of journalist Gunay Musayeva on Wednesday 18 April 2012 in a village on the outskirts of Baku.
