The European Court of Human Rights granted the claim of an Azerbaijani journalist who got injured during dispersal of an oppositional action in 2005

On October, 2, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) announced its verdict on the claim of Azerbaijani journalist Ramiz Najafli. Acknowledging violations of Najafli's rights secured by clauses 3 and 10 of European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, freedom of expression) the Court obliged the Government of Azerbaijan to pay the journalist a compensation to a total sun of 13 thousand euros.

The lawsuit was submitted in connection with beating Najafli up while he was carrying out his professional duties as Editor-in Chief of "Boz Gurd" ("Grey Wolf") newspaper at a protest action of the opposition on October, 9, 2005, in "Sakhil" park in the center of Baku. During dispersal of the unauthorized action Najafli got brain concussion and was taken to resuscitation unit of the municipal emergency hospital unconscious.

Later his appeals to law enforcement bodies and courts to investigate the case and punish those guilty were unsuccessful. The journalist received no compensations from the state. On exhausting all national facilities to protect his rights he appealed to Strasbourg court.

ECtHR resolved to pay Najafli 10 thousand euros for moral damage and 3 more thousand compensation of legal costs.

However, the journalist does not consider the sum of financial compensation adequate to physical, moral and material damage inflicted on him.

"I still have not regained my health and working capacity completely. I have to spend 7 to 8 thousand manats (7 - 8 thousand euros) on brain therapy in connection with vessel blockage. Most of this money is granted to me by my family and friends", Ramiz Najafli said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Besides, according to him, he had to stop publishing "Boz Gurd" newspaper because of the trauma he got.

"I was undergoing treatment for a lot of time and could not work. The editorial team also disintegrated because of the lack of financing. Now my health does not allow me to publish the paper and I write articles for other mass media occasionally. I carry out educational activities but this is also limited. I am hardly healthy and strong enough to render private tutor's services", Najafli said.

He expressed regret about the fact that ECtHR while taking a decision on the sum of compensation did not take into consideration his partial disablement and material damage connected with it.

However, he is not going to file an appeal. "Unfortunately, Strasbourg court now assigns too small sums of compensation. ECtHR assigned only a little more than half of this sum of compensation on the case of my colleague Sarvan Rizvanov who also underwent violence from the police. "I only have to content myself with moral consolation about the fact that such a high juridical instance as ECtHR acknowledged my right", Najafli said.

There are no comments from Azerbaijani bodies of power for the verdict has not yet been officially submitted to the Apparat of the Government.