Azerbaijan: Free speech activists call on journalist’s release

Investigative reporting is a dangerous business in Azerbaijan. On the anniversary of Elmar Huseynov’s murder the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan gathered in Strasbourg to call for release of independent journalist Eynulla Fatullayev. They call on the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers to fulfil its mandate by demanding the immediate release of imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev during its 8-10 March human rights meeting.

In 2005, Monitor magazine’s editor-in-chief Elmar Huseynov (left) was shot dead by unidentified attackers following the publication of articles critical of the Azerbaijani authorities.

Huseynov’s murder remains unsolved
Six years later, his murder remains unsolved, casting a long shadow over the country’s civil society.

Since Huseynov’s murder, a climate of violence against journalists, impunity for their attackers, and persecution and imprisonment of government critics has emerged in Azerbaijan. Fatullayev (below), who was Huseynov’s deputy editor at Monitor, has refused to give up the search for Huseynov’s murderers. Even from his prison cell, he continues to provide a rare critical voice in a media climate dominated by pro-governmental views.

His criticism of Azerbaijani government – and his dogged investigation into the murder of Huseynov – has made him deeply unpopular with authorities.

Dangerous to express critical opinions
“Azerbaijan has become a dangerous place to express critical opinions. We need bodies like the Council of Europe to help safeguard our right to freedom of expression before it’s too late. Next week’s human rights meeting is an excellent opportunity for the Committee of Ministers to take a tougher stance”, said Rashid Hajili, Director of the Media Rights Institute.

Representatives from Article 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Index on Censorship, and the Media Rights Institute appealed on 1-3 March to European ministers to place Fatullayev’s case at the centre of their human rights agenda at next week’s Council of Europe committee of ministers meeting.

Free speech advocates met in Strasbourg with delegations from several countries. They called for the immediate release of Fatullayev and again drew attention to the Azerbaijan government’s violation of their commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Breach of Azerbaijan’s commitments
“It’s time for the Committee of Ministers to hold the Azerbaijani government to account for complying with the European Court’s decision in this case. The Azerbaijani authorities’ continued persecution of Fatullayev for political reasons is a breach of Azerbaijan’s commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights”, commented Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of Article 19.

Rather than releasing Fatullayev, the Azerbaijani authorities continue to hold him in prison on a politically motivated charge of drug possession. Its refusal to uphold an April 2010 European Court of Human Rights decision ruling that Fatullayev should be released has met with international condemnation.

In addition to drugs charges brought against him while already in prison – widely believed to fabricated – Fatullayev has also seen retroactive charges brought against him for offences that predate the alleged crimes for which he was originally imprisoned.

Culture of self-censorship has emerged
Since Elmar Huseynov’s murder, violence against journalists has become more commonplace and a culture of self-censorship has emerged. Many journalists working in Azerbaijan are afraid to tackle some of the country’s most taboo subjects – corruption, insulting the president’s family, religious freedom – for fear of physical attacks or arrest.

There are signs, too, that the government is again targeting youth activists. Although the release of activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade (left) at the end of 2010 was a cause for celebration, charges against them remain. And the arrest of 20-year-old Jabbar Savalan in February demonstrates that the government is not about to back down when faced with overt criticism.

Savalan was arrested after he called for a “day of rage” in Freedom Square in Baku on his Facebook page, inspired by recent protests in the Middle East.

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Free expression under attack: Azerbaijan’s deteriorating media environment

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