Journalist Elman Malyev arrested in Azerbaijan

On June 6, a well-known Azerbaijani journalist Elman Malyev was arrested and handed over to the inquiry, as reported today by the Central Police Department (CPD) of the city of Baku.

The Department has specified that the journalist is accused of a swindle.

As reported by the IA APA Agency with reference to the CPD, as a result of operative-search actions, undertaken by employees of the fourth branch of the police of the Binagadin District Police Division, Elman Khushan oglu Malyev, who had been in search under Article 178.2.4 (a swindle that has caused significant damage) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, was arrested and handed over to the inquiry body.

Let us note here that Malyev, who for a long time was involved in journalistic activities, is now jobless. Earlier, when an employee of the newspaper "Express", he was repeatedly detained and exposed to violence by Azerbaijani police for his professional work, as the "Panorama.am" reports.

In December 2001, Mr Malyev was detained, together with several other journalists, for participation in a picket. The action was organized by three newspapers - "Azadlyg", "Eni Musavat" and "Hurriyet", - and its participants demanded from the Azerbaijani authorities to stop persecuting the oppositional press.

In October 2005, Elman Malyev, who was then a member of the Monitoring Group of the Board of Press was beaten by policemen during dispersal of the oppositional rally in Baku.