The U.S. State Department released its annual Human Rights Report. “Harassment and violence against individual journalists continued [in Azerbaijan],” the report read. Underlining the deterioration of the situation of the freedom of expression, the section of annual report on Azerbaijan lists and described numerous cases of intimidation against journalists in the country in 2006. (11-MAR-07)
Written by Shahla Ismailova, HRH Baku on the basis of annual report of the U.S. State Department
The annual human rights report featured a section on Azerbaijan, which noted many problems with media freedom in Azerbaijan. “The Media Council, an independent NGO, reported that 40 journalists experienced physical attack or harassment during the six-month period preceding the November 2005 parliamentary elections, the most recent period for which data was available”, says the report.
The report lists and describes the cases of kidnapped and attacked newspaper journalist Fikret Huseynli, seriously injured editor-in-chief of Bizim Yol newspaper Bahaddin Haziyev, arrested political satirist Mirza Zahidov (Mirza Sakit) and detained director of the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety – Emin Huseynov at the airport last fall.
For complete report see the U.S. State Department website www.state.gov
