In a letter to president Ilham Aliev the Human Rights House Foundation (HRH) strongly condemns the murder of the chief editor Elmar Huseynov on 2 March 2005 and calls for an impartial investigation. -His death is evidence of the loss of the free media, the human rights defender Novella Jafaroglu said yesterday on the scene of the crime (4-MARCH-05).

Your Excellency,

The non-governmental organisation Human Rights House Foundation (HRH) strongly condemns the murder of Elmar Huseynov on 2 March 2005. The chief editor of the opposition-minded MONITOR journal was brutally killed at the entrance of his apartment in 39 Kara Karayev street. According to the independent news agency TURAN Huseynov was shot several times while walking up the stairwell of his building on his way home from work 9:00 p.m. Huseynov´s family said the editor had received several threats and was concerned about his security. The magazine currently faces several lawsuits in retaliation for its critical reporting, and journalists working for the publication have faced a steady stream of harassments.

Huseynov was well known for his outspoken and critical articles against government officials. Human rights groups and journalists claim that the murder must have been politically motivated. -His death is evidence of the loss of the free media, the human rights defender Novella Jafaroglu said yesterday on the scene of the crime.

HRH reminds the Azerbaijani authorities of their obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, Article 10.1: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.”

HRH is pleased to learn that the General Prosecutor´s Office has opened a criminal case and set up an expert group to investigate the murder. HRH calls for an impartial investigation into the killing of Elmar Huseynov, with the findings made public and those responsible brought to justice.

Copies are sent to:
The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jan Petersen
The Norwegian Prime Minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik
The Norwegian Parliament, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Torbjørn Jagland
The Norwegian Embassy in Baku, Steinar Gil
The Human Rights House Network: Moscow, Warsaw, London, Sarajevo, Bergen, Minsk, Nairobi, Zagreb, Istanbul, Kampala

Read the press release from HRH (Norwegian language)