In Azerbaijan, defence of journalist Khazy, accused of hooliganism, insists on his self-defence

The latest court session dealing with the case of journalist Seimur Khazy, accused of hooliganism with use of arms in Azerbaijan, questioned the witnesses, who refused from their testimonies, signed earlier in the course of investigation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Seimur Khazy, an observer of the newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom), was detained on August 29. According to law enforcers, the journalist beat up a stranger to him named Magerram Gasanov. On October 2, the court refused to transfer Khazy under home arrest.

The two witnesses, who addressed the court on December 18, denied the testimonies ascribed to them by the investigation, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Thus, the witness Natick Agaverdiev said that he was sitting in a tea house and went out to the noise in the street. "When we came out, someone was put into a police car and taken away. What is written in the protocol on my behalf is a lie, I never said or wrote this," he said.

The second witness in the case Akif Mustafaev practically repeated the testimony of the first one.

Seimur Khazy said that the today's evidence of the witnesses again indicate the customized nature of his case. The journalist accused the bosses of his SIZO (pre-trial prison) that they do not allow him to contact his relatives and do not even pass over the letters he writes.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.