Reporter who covered explosion consequences beaten in Baku

Zulfugar Heyirkhabar, a reporter of the Azerbaijani News Agency "Salamnews", was beaten today in Baku at performance of his professional duties. It happened in the morning in the crossing of the Istiglaliyat Avenue and Adyl Babaev Street, where the journalist was filming his report about gas explosion in the cafe "Karvan."

Mr Heyirkhabar told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he had asked for a permit to make filming from a man in the cafe. However, the latter gave no permit and began offending the journalist, and when Zulfugar demanded to stop swearing, the man rushed on him with his fists. It all happened at the eyes of policemen and workers of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE). Moreover, one of the MfE workers also struck the journalist.

The victim wrote a complaint to police station No. 9 of the Sabail District Police Department. The journalist was not given any medical aid, but he was sent for medical examination, where a bruise under his eye and body extravasations were fixed.

Meanwhile, the statement of the Institute of Media Rights (IMR) notes that under preliminary data the journalist had brain concussion.

The IMR resolutely condemns Mr Heyirkhabar's beating and demands punishment of all the culprits. The Institute treats the violence over the journalist as a serious blow on the freedom of searching, gathering, obtaining and dissemination of information.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the police station No. 9 of the Sabail District that two employees of cafe "Karvan" were detained on the fact of beating the journalist.

Let us note here that today there was an explosion in this cafe located in central Baku (at No. 6 Adyl Babaev Street, at the crossing with the Istiglaliyat Avenue).

The police station reports that the explosion was caused by a gas leakage.

The Baku city first aid station said, in its turn, that the explosion injured two persons - a man and a woman; they are in satisfactory condition.

This is already the second gas explosion in a public catering site in the centre of Baku this week. On February 15, a similar incident happened in cafe "Karamel" at No. 7 Alizade Street. Then, 3 persons suffered.

On February 12, Nazim Samedzade, first deputy director of the Production Association "Azerigaz", said at a press conference that during the autumn-winter season of 2009-2010, in total, 245 emergencies connected with safety violations when using gas have already been registered. Thirty-four explosions happened, in which 34 persons were lost and 31 persons were wounded. Besides, out of 211 persons poisoned with carbon oxide 29 victims died; rescuers managed to save 182 of them.