Azerbaijani GPO questions IRFS accountant

Tatiana Kryuchkina, an accountant of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), has been questioned as a witness in the Investigating Department for Grave Crimes of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan in connection with the criminal case against a number of local and foreign NGOs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 8, law enforcers came with a search warrant to the office of the IRFS in Baku. Staff members of the IRFS stated that the search was conducted in violation of the law and that the seizure of equipment deprives the IRFS of the possibility to continue its activities. On August 11, the office of the organization was sealed.

According to Tatiana Kryuchkina, the IRFS committed no violations in its financing activities.

Meanwhile, there is still no information about the fate of Emin Guseinov, the IRFS Director. The IRFS staff members and the parents of Emin Guseinov express their concern over the fate of the human rights defender.

Initially, on the date of the search at the IRFS office and later, the Emin Guseinov's mobile phone was switched on; however, the IRFS Director did not answer the calls. Since August 11, his mobile phone is switched off.

The newspaper "Yeni Musavat" has put forward the version that Emin Guseinov was brought to Georgia in a car of the US Embassy and then sent to Oslo. However, the US Embassy has denied the reports that on the day of the search at the office of the IRFS, Emin Guseinov was in the building of the US diplomatic mission.