Tagi’s relatives and colleagues assign responsibility for his death to physicians and the authorities

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev took over personal control of investigation of the murder of Rafik Tagi. The journalists demand a thorough investigation of the writer’s death.

“Actions on investigation of this high-profile crime are under personal control of the President of Azerbaijan. The public will be additionally informed of its results”, a joint statement issued by Prosecutor General’s and the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Azerbaijan on November, 26, runs.

Members of Tagi’s family are going to appeal to court against Minister of Public Health and physicians of municipal Clinic center No 1 where Tagi died on November, 24, after he was operated on, November, 19.

Tagi’s relatives consider that he died as result of the medical staff’s carelessness, improper treatment and early moving from resuscitation department to a common ward, the writer’s brother Ilgar Tagiev said.

The writer’s family is planning to bring to account as defendants the Minister of Public Health Oktay Shiraliev, Head doctor of municipal Clinic center No 1 and the physicians who treated and operated on him.

The members of Tagi’s family do not feel safe. For this reasons they are going to appeal to one on the Western embassies asking for an asylum one of these days, the deceased man’s brother said.

The Institute of Freedom and Safety of Reporters (IFSR) declared that Tagi “became victim of scornful attitude of the authorities towards journalists and freedom of speech”. “Had Tagi who survived after an assault been provided with proper treatment, they might have saved him”, the authors of the statement wrote emphasizing that the authorities had “demonstrated negligence concerning Tagi”.